Kid Icarus Uprising: The Novelization
by PhantomHeartless5
Summary: 25 years ago, Medusa, the Goddess of Darkness was defeated by Pit, the brave Captain of Palutena's Guard. 25 years later, Medusa returns with an army and a thirst for vengenance more powerful than before. Meeting new friends and foes, Pit must again answer the call of duty and quell Medusa's wrath. Will he succeed? My first novelization of an entire game. Please leave some reviews.
1. Prologue: The Return of Medusa

**This is it. My novelization of Kid Icarus: Uprising. One that I hope will do the game the justice it deserves. Now this is my first time novelizing an entire game, so I'm going to pour my heart and soul into this Fanfic. To that end, I encourage reviews and feedback. Now a few things I should warn you about. First off, like the game, This story has no fourth wall. Second, when you see writing in italics, that means one of the gods are talking to Pit telepathically. Also, some scenes and dialouge might be changed. Otherwise, it should follow the game. **

**This is merely the prolouge to whet your appetite, so if it looks short, then I apologize. Also, beware of spoliers for those who have not played the game. Please read, review, and I _DO_ hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

_**Kid Icarus: Uprising**_

A groan escaped Medusa's lips as conciousness slowly returned to her. After the blissful sensation of feeling weightless, the slow return to life was exhausting. Once she opened her eyes, she awoke with a start and looked around frantically to find herself... in her castle. And more specificaly, on her throne. She sunk back into her seat and began to ponder on the burning question on her mind: How the hell is she still alive? She took a few moments to try to think on what happened. But try as she might, she could remember nothing before her fight with Pit, the Captain of Palutena's Guard.

But the moment her thoughts shifted towards Pit and Palutena, she felt a familiar twinge of anger. She summoned a mirror using her magic. Holding it up to her face, she saw her true hideous self: A green skinned monster with a single, red, cycloptic eye and orange snakes in her raven hair. This was the face that Palutena cursed her with when she banished her from skyworld. That was when the anger began to grow. It was all _her_ fault. _She_ turned her into the monster she is. _She_ banished her to the Underworld. _She_ had her little _minion_, Pit, hunt her down like an animal. Her rage began to build as thoughts of bloody retribution against Palutena and her precious angel formed in her mind. Eventually her rage became too much to control and she smashed the mirror against the arm of her chair with an enraged yell.

Taking a few deep breaths to reign in her anger, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. "That's seven years bad luck, Lady Medusa. Hoo hoo hoo!" Medusa looked around to ascertain the source of the voice. "Who said that?" she asked. "Show yourself!"

"Why Lady Medusa, I'm wounded! Truly I am! I know it's been awhile, but surely you haven't forgotten your most trusted advisor?" the voice replied. Medusa took a few moments to think on it. But that's when realization struck. "Tanatos?" She asked.

"Correct!" Tanatos replied. "It's nice to see that you haven't changed m'lady."

"Where are you?" she asked, not one to indulge in pleasntries. "The same place I've been since the last game: In your hair." He replied. And immedately, a small green snake jumped out of Medusa's hair. It had pink, beady eyes with x's in them and large blue lips with a small fang protruding from the upper lip.

"How did I get here?" Medusa asked.

"Hmm... Good question. I wish I had the answer." Tanatos remarked.

"How long has it been?" Medusa asked.

"25 years. The world's pretty much at peace now. Everyone has pretty much forgotten us." Tanatos replied.

"That's usually what happens when something old goes out of style." A female voice said. A blue flame began to manifest until it formed a face with pink eyes and a fanged mouth. At the top of the flame was a gold ring, giving it the appearance of hair tied in a ponytail. "Ah, Pandora, Goddess of Calamity and Disasters. Nice to see you're still living." Medusa mused.

"If you can count this as living." Pandora remarked. "But I suppose it is preferable than being slain by an angel."

"So it's been 25 years, eh? And people have forgotten us? That will never do at all." Medusa said as she waved a hand in front of her face. It caused her to gain a new face, one with white skin and black eyes with a large tattoo on the left eye. It was a spell she created years ago to create a mask of beauty. She couldn't completely undo Palutena's spell, but she could at least hide her true face. "I think it's time to change that."

"So what are your orders?" Tanatos asked.

"Ready the troops. Tell them we attack _now_." Medusa said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Pandora asked. "I mean, you did just wake up from a 25 year old nap. Don't you want to at least wait to regain your strength?"

"Destiny and revenge wait for no Goddess. And as a wise person once said, There's no time like the present. Besides, it's been so long since I last saw my old friends Pit and Palutena and I missed so much. We have _a lot_ to catch up on." Medusa replied with a sinister smile on her lips.

* * *

In the lush, beautiful realm of Skyworld, there stood a glorious Temple. This was the home of Palutena, the Goddess of Light and ruler of Skyworld. Palutena was soaking in the royal hot spring, her usual spot during her days off. With the world at peace since Medusa's defeat, she had been using them more frequently. After all, the danger's gone. So why not have some time to yourself? "Nothing could possibly ruin this day." She mused to herself. And nothing should, right?

Unfortunately for Palutena, her spa session was interrupted by a frantic knock on the door. "Come In." she said with a small hint of annoyance. In charged a little man dressed in a brown toga with sandals and a yellow helmet with wings on it. This was a Centurion, one of the rank-and-file members of her army. However, they are very fragile and can die easily in battle, so much so that even Palutena jokes about it. The Centurion had a harried look about him, almost as if he escaped straight out of the bowels of the Underworld itself. The Centurion took a few moments to catch his breath before giving a low bow. "Forgive the intrusion, Lady Palutena but I've recieved troubling news."

"What is it? The humans started another war?" Palutena asked, used to these types of reports.

"Worse. A human town is under attack by the Underworld Army!" The centurion replied.

"You're joking right? The Underworld Army was defeated long ago." Palutena said.

"I wish I was. See for yourself." Palutena gave a sigh and used her Eye of Palutena to view the town. And sure enough, she caught on to the sight of Underworld monsters wreaking havoc on a nearby town. The sight of it sickened her, but it also brought a more horrifying thought: If these were Underworld monsters, then that could only mean one thing... _She_ has returned. Medusa has returned. Palutena fell silent for a few moments, then spoke in an unusually serious tone, "I need to be alone."

"Understood." came the reply. The centurion gave another low bow before leaving the room. Once he was gone, Palutena began making a telepathic call.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the training room, there was a young angel lifting weights. This was Pit, the Captain of Lady Palutena's Guard, and her most loyal servant. Physically, he looked to be around 13. His hair was brown with many tuffs in it. His skin was fair and he had large blue eyes. He wore a white chiton that was decorated with red and gold hems on the bottom. It was fastened on the shoulder by a single gold pin with a ruby-like gem embedded on it. He wore the outfit with a brown belt with silver edges and a gold, triangular buckle on his waist. He also wore navy blue tights beneath his chiton. The angel had a pair of bronze and gold cuffs on his wrists, a gold bracelet on his upper left arm, and another gold ring on his right thigh. His sandals were brown and decorated with crossing, beige bands. The top edges of his shoes had what appeared to be white fur or wool.

Pit was unique among angels in that he couldn't fly. It was a defect from birth. His wings lacked the certain element that enabled flight. This of course made him the victim of many a bully, but Palutena saw something special within him. So, she raised the young angel herself, trained him, taught him everything she knew. Eventually, Pit rose through the ranks and became the Captain of the Guard. His skills are so great that he's basically the main muscle of Palutena's army, singlehandedly accomplishing several missions assigned to him.

Pit was in the training room doing his daily workout routine, only to be interrupted by a telepathic call from Lady Palutena. "_Pit. _Pit_. It's time to report for duty Pit_." she said. "Lady Palutena!" Pit replied. "What's happening?"

"_There's no time to explain, Pit. It's time to head out_." she replied.

"Understood!" Pit shouted as he ran to the arms altar to pick out a weapon from the huge selection it contained. He immediately grabbed his Palutena Bow, his signature weapon and the first one granted to him by Palutena. Once done he began to head out the door, but once he got to the door and looked out he was stopped by an anixous thought. "But Lady Palutena. I can't fly." Pit said.

"_Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. Now go!_" Palutena replied.

"If you say so." Pit said as he hopped out the door. He was fully expecting to hit the ground, so imagine his surprise when his wings began glowing with blue light and he found himself floating. "I can fly. _I can fly!_" Pit shouted with joy. "How did you-?"

"_I'll explain on the way. Now let's hurry!_" Palutena shouted.

"Alright! Get ready, world! Pit's back and he's better than ever!" The angel shouted as he flew off into the horizon.

* * *

**Well that's the prologue. The story will really begin soon. So stay tuned and please review.**

**Next Chapter Summary: The Return of Palutena. The Underworld Army begins its assault on the human realm and Pit and Palutena must stop them. Will they rise to the challenge? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Return of Palutena

**Okay. Even though _NOBODY_ left a review, I still uploaded the next chapter. Please read, review, and I do hope you enjoy.**

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising. Having thought to be defeated so long ago, Medusa, the Goddess of Darkness has returned and launched an assault on the human realm! Responding to the plight of the humans, Palutena, the Goddess of Light, summoned her most trusted champion, Pit. Can the young angel stop Medusa's assault? Find out, now!**

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Pit said as he flew out the door. Once out, his wings immediately began to glow with a blue light, keeping him airborne. "It's been _too_ long, Lady Palutena!"

"_We can chat later, Pit_." came the telepathic response from Palutena. "_But now it's time to fight! The Underworld Army's invading!_" And sure enough, Pit found himself face to face with a small squadron of 8 pink, tentacled monsters with a single eye. These were Monoeyes, the surveliance drones of the Underworld Army. Upon seeing Pit, they immediately opened fire with orbs of dark energy from their eyes. Pit dodged the orbs and pulled out his Palutena Bow, returning fire. With a single charged shot, he manged to slay three of the beasts. Two of them tried to charge the angel. Converting his bow into twin blades, Pit sliced through the monsters, killing them instantly.

"So these are Underworld troops," Pit began, "Are you saying that Medusa's been..."

"_Resurrected. Yes_." Palutena replied. "_Though the goddess of darkness was defeated long ago, she's back now. And as the goddess of light, it's my duty to protect humanity from her._"

"Eh, you worry too much!" Pit replied with his usual optimism. But before the two could continue their conversation, the sky began to darken and turn red. Then appeared the massive projection of a woman. The woman had an overall gothic appearance. Her skin was white as ivory. Her raven hair was littered with twelve snakes, eleven green and one orange. Her hands were greyish colored, with claws for fingers. The back of her right hand was red with black markings. She wore a predomiantly purple dress wth gold linings on it. The dress was held up by a gold bracelet worn on her left arm. In her left hand, she held a staff decorated with a snake on it.

"Medusa!" Pit shouted, fully aware of who this was before him.

"Hello there, Pit." Medusa replied in that deep, echoing, feminine voice. "And you too, Palutena. Here to crash my homecoming party?"

"_Uh, this really doesn't look like much of a party_..." Palutena said.

"What better way to celebrate my return than with a festive little bloodbath? After all, I _have_ been gone for 25 years." Medusa mused as she vanished while swarms of Monoeyes began descending. Pit began firing at them, but soon realized that they were not attacking him. That's when realization struck. "They're moving their attack to the ground!" Pit shouted.

"_Then so are we!_" Palutena responded. Immediately, Pit felt a boost in speed as he dived below the clouds. "I can't believe I'm actually flying!" Pit shouted with a playful laugh as he flew close to a nearby lake to look at his reflection with the breeze gently blowing through his hair. He also encountered more Underworld monsters: Winged, cycloptic frogs called Kerons and smalll octopus-like creatures called Octos. Pit dispatched them with ease.

"The Power of Flight is my gift to you." Palutena said. "I'll control your flightpath so you can focus on battle. But I can only maintain this power for five minutes at a time. After that, your wings will burn up and you'll fall."

"Ugh. You have _no_ idea how embarrassing it is to be an angel who can't fly on his own." Pit remarked. "So thank's for your help. If it weren't for you, I'd be finished!"

"_That's not the only gift I have for you, Pit_." Palutena continued. "_See that bow in your hand? Wouldn't it be great if you were using a different weapon? Close your eyes and imagine yourself using a different weapon_." Adhering to his goddess' instructions, Pit closed his eyes and pictured himself using the Aquarius Blade. And in a flash of light, the same weapon appeared in his hand. "WHOA!" Pit shouted.

"_Neat, huh? You can now switch weapons automatically instead of having to choose just one weapon_." Palutena said. "_You can also do the same thing with items like grenades and boom spears_. _You already know about powers and stuff, so I don't have to tell you about that_. _And as you meet new people, you'll get even more weapons_."

"Thanks, Lady Palutena." Pit said.

"_Anything to help you defeat the Underworld Army_." Palutena replied. "_Just remember that this is a fanfic. You never know what the author might throw at you_."

"No worries! I can handle anything the author or the Underworld Army can dish out!" Pit shouted.

"_I hope so_." Palutena said. "_Your destination should be coming into view now_." Pit eventually caught sight of a town under attack by the Underworld monsters, causing the young angel to let out a gasp of horror. "Now they're attacking the town? This isn't right!"

"_The people need your help. I better get you over there_." Pit then felt a boost of speed given to his wings as he flew towards the town. Once he arrived, he was met with scores of cheering from the humans that inhabited the town. "Do you hear that? Do you hear the people's cheers?" Pit asked. "They're celebrating the return of the goddess Palutena!"

"_Despite the Underworld invasion, the people haven't lost hope_." Palutena replied. "_It's our duty to protect them. Prepare for land battle, Pit!_" Pit landed on the ground and headed left onto the main road. "_You're hear to help the townsfolk, so wipe out as many monsters as you can_."

"I'm on it!" Pit said as he began attacking nearby Shernums, small, blue winged snakes. He also encountered a slug like enemy called a Nettler. Dodging its shots, Pit charged at it and bisceted it with a melee attack. moving further towards the fountain in the center of town, He saw a large urn that continuously spawned the Shernums. Pit pulled out a grenade and tossed it in the urn, which exploded and killed the Shernums within. He then began to make his way towards the town's colosseum. But that's when the sky began to darken again. And suddenly, a fireball charged at Pit from behind. Pit yelped and jumped out the way. He then took a few moments to observe the fireball as it bounced towards the colosseum, taking note of its movements. They were not too dissimilar from an animal.

"Wh-What was _that?!_" Pit asked.

"_Medusa has unleashed an evil beast in the colosseum! You need to hurry there!_" Palutena said. Pit rushed to the colosseum, cutting down any Underworld monsters that stood in his path. Once he reached the colosseum he noticed a winged bottle near the door. It was called the Drink of the Gods, Skyworld's most famous beverage. It was said to heal wounds. Not being one to pass up free food, Pit picked up the bottle and drank it. Immediately, his wounds began to heal.

With that done, Pit headed inside and was confronted by a monstorous sight. The beast before him was a twin-headed hound. It's skin was dark red, with much of its fur engulfed in flames. It seemed that the beast was formerly chained down since it had a large, metal brace with a broken chain attached to its left paw. The hound also wore bone armor along its back with funnel-like spouts running down its spine. Both heads had fierce, green eyes that looked as if it could strike fear in the most stalwart of soilders. They also wore spiked collars with chains dangling down from them. "Twinbellows!" Pit shouted.

"_The Underworld's faithful watchdog_." Palutena said as the beast jumped down from the seats and roared at Pit, the funnels on its spine shooting flames from them. "Old Pit's gonna teach you some new tricks! Now play dead!" Pit made the first move by firing a charged shot from his Aquarius Blade. Twinbellows jumped out of the way and prepared an attack of its own, breathing a stream of fire at the angel. Having no time to dodge, Pit used his Reflect Barrier power and threw a large barrier in front of him, blocking the flames. He then used his Sky Jump power and launched himself over Twinbellows, hoping to make a downward stab on the hound's back. Twinbellows responded by smacking him away with its tail, knocking Pit against the wall. The fiery beast charged at Pit, but the angel mangaged to reover quickly, moving out of its path. That caused Twinbellows to hit the wall, stunning the creature.

Taking advantage of its weakened state, Pit fired another charged shot that hit its mark. That caused Twinbellows to howl in pain as steam flew from the impact spot. So the creature's vulnerable to water. Twinbellows responded with a barrage of fireballs. Pit slashed through the fireballs with his blade, causing each one to evaporate upon impact. Twinbellows immediately lunged at Pit, attempting to slash him with his claws. Pit evade its claws and made a slash at its chest, casuing it to stand upright. Pit quickly took out his Palutena Bow and fired a charged shot, hitting the beast directly in its heart. That seemed to be the mortal blow as it gave one last howl before exploding. The darkened sky then returned to normal.

"Yeah! Victory is mine!" Pit shouted triumphantly.

"_Excellent job, Pit!_" Palutena said. The happy moment was interrupted by a dark chuckle from Medusa, who's projection appeared. "Listen well, Medusa! Your days of darkness are numbered. Prepare to meet the light!" Pit shouted at the projection, which vainished.

"_Let's return for now. This was just our first step in defeating Medusa_." Palutena said as a collumm of light surrounded Pit, pulling him upward. It was Palutena's method of extracting the angel from battle. Though they may have won this battle, The war against the Underworld was only beginning.

* * *

**Next chapter preview: Magnus and the Dark Lord. Next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising. Pit's next mission has him face to face with a powerful Dark Lord named Gaol. During the attack on his castle he meets a human mercenary called Magnus. Will the two be able to defeat Gaol? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	3. Chapter 2: Magnus and the Dark Lord

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising. Medusa and the Underworld Army had begun its assault on the human world! Responding to the plight of the humans, Palutena and Pit rushed to the town and managed to slay Twinbellows, the faithful hound of the Underworld. However, the war against Medusa was just starting. Will Pit be ready? Find out now!**

"And we're off!" Pit said as he rushed out the door and unfortunately into some very stormy weather. Pit avoided the lightning bolts as best he could. "Ugh. This weather's nasty." he said as he opened fire on a group of monoeyes.

"_Yes, but your next mission can't wait_." Palutena began. "_You must defeat Dark Lord Gaol_."

"Heh. '_Dark Lord'_?" Pit chuckled. "Seriously? Hasn't the whole dark-lord thing been done to death already?"

"_He's_ earned _it_." Palutena replied. "_He's working for Medusa. Her forces are coming from_ his _castle_. _A human army has gone to fight him, but they don't stand a chance_."

"So, what you're saying is we need a brave hero to face the dark lord?" Pit replied with some amusement.

"_I suppose it_ is _an old story_." Palutena said. "_But don't forget that this is the Underworld Army we're dealing with. And anybody with the title 'dark lord' won't be some low-level minion_."

"So what are we talking here?" Pit began to ask. "Miniboss? Final boss? Well, whatever. I hope this dark lord's hungry for a hot plate of punishment!" Pit continued to fly through the turbulent, stormy sky until he nearly got hit with a lightning bolt, causing him to shout. "Is this lightning coming from the Underworld Army?" he asked.

"_Where else would it be coming from?_" Palutena replied.

"Sorry... I guess that was pretty obivous." Pit said.

"_If you don't watch out, we'll be having barbecued angel tonight_." Palutena said. "_And though spicy angel wings _sound_ tasty, I'd best get you out of there_." Palutena at times just couldn't help but make some type of food-based joke.

"Plus...chicken is much more economical!" Pit shouted as Palutena steered him down towards the surface. "Ahhhh! Much better!" he sighed as he felt the breeze brush against his face.

"_You still have to watch out for fire from Underworld troops_." Palutena said. Pit turned around to find a trio of Shrips, beetle-like monsters with blades for heads, on his tail. "Shrips, snails, and puppy dog tails." Pit said as he took out his Palutena Blade and opened fire on the Shrips, killing them with ease. He then looked to see a group of Monoeyes, Grayzers, and Syrens in front of him. Pit activated the blade's special attack, calling down lightning to strike them all. Eventually, Pit made it to a mountainous passage.

"How in the world would the human army make it across these mountains by foot?" Pit asked, taking in the sight of the trecherous mountain pass.

"_Do I detect a note of smugness in your voice?_" Palutena teased.

"Uh... No, no, no! I'm just really happy I can fly." Pit said as he waved his arms dismissively.

"_Angels shouldn't gloat, Pit_." Palutena chided.

"What I meant to say is that I'm eternally grateful for your help." Pit said with a slight blush. he continued to navigate the monutain pass until he reached a small ravine. "_Let's make our way underground_." Palutena said as she steered him into the ravine. "_It's not the most cheerful place, is it?_"

"The Underworld baddies seem to like it." Pit said as he took out a few Octos.

"_I suppose it makes sense they'd feel at home underground_."

"It'd be like living in a basement." Pit said as he continued to fly. He then felt himself come to a sudden stop. He was then confronted by two Monoeyes and a Porcuspine. The porcuspine fired its spikes, but the angel barrel rolled out of the way and retaliated with a charged shot, killing the creature instantly. "Why did we stop?"

"_Oh, I thought you'd want to take in the sights. And destroy some monsters_." Came the reply. Pit flew towards another Porcuspine and two Grazyers. Eventually, he managed to make his way out of the ravine. All seemed quiet for a few moments until Palutena shouted. "_Pit, behind you!_" the angel turned around to find a Belunka chasing him. "Let me at em!"

"_I'll control your flight path so you don't run into anything. Just focus on shooting and dodging_." The whale-like monster opened its masive maw and spawned several monoeyes. Pit quickly slew the monoeyes and threw a smart bomb into the beast's gaping maw. The bomb exploded, killing it instantly. Pit made it out of the narrow pass, only to come up to a wall. "_Dark Lord Gaol's castle is up ahead_." Palutena informed him.

"But...But what about that wall?!" Pit hesitantly asked.

"_Don't worry. I'll help you over_." That was the only warning Pit recieved before feeling a familiar boost in speed. "Whoaaaa! G-Force in my faaace!" Pit shouted as he flew along the wall, taking out enemies as he did. He felt as though his face was going to peel off. Eventually he made it over. "Yeah! Take that, wall!" Pit shouted. But before he could celebrate, Pit looked to see the human army under attack by the Underworld. "Look!"

"_The humans will never defeat Gaol with the Underworld forces in their way_." Palutena said.

"The humans are taking a beating! They need our help!" Pit shouted, never one to ignore those in need.

"_Normally I'd agree with you, but_..." Palutena began.

"What is it?!" Pit asked, rather impatient.

"_Do you remember how long the power of flight lasts?_"

"Five...minutes?" Came Pit's hesitant reply.

"_And remember what happens when it runs out?_"

"My wings...burn up?"

We don't have time to assist the people. We have to go straight for Gaol." Palutena began as Pit flew over the castle. "_I'll take you into the castle. From there, it's up to you to face the dark lord. His defeat will force the Underworld Army into retreat_."

"Roger! Get ready for a display of raw angel power!" Pit exclaimed as he landed on the castle's balcony. "So _this_ is the dark lord's castle." Pit said as he observed the gothic appearance of the fortress.

"_Yes, he must've scrambled to build it after Medusa's resurrection." _Palutena said_. "He's using this castle as a stronghold for Underworld monsters. Monsters designed to wreak havoc and sow sadness. Are you excited?"_

"Yeah. It's like a birthday party where everyone wants to kill me." Pit replied with obvious sarcasm.

"_Make your way to the great hall down on the first floor_." Palutena said. Pit ran into a room and gave a startled yelp at what appeared to be Skuttlers. But closer inspection revealed that they were just statues. Hitting a switch to open the door, Pit made his way down to the great hall. It was quite extravagant. A long burgundy carpet trailed down from the door to the center of the room. Curved stairways trailed to the upper part of the room. "This must be the great hall." Pit said.

"_At the top of the stairs, there's a door with switches across from it_." Palutena said.

"Switches, huh? That probably means I shoud hit them!" Pit exclaimed.

"_Very_...perceptive _of you, Pit." _Palutena replied. Pit climbed up the stairs and hit the switches to open the door. And immediately, a large spider-like skull enemy with a single orange eye appeared. "_The door's unlocked now_. The _enemy with the big skull guarding the door is a Ganwmede. They'll attack when fired at, but the don't do much at all if you don't shoot them_." Palutena said. Charging toward the Ganwmede, Pit slashed at it with his blade. With the creature slain, Pit made his way through the door and found himself on the top level of the interior garden.

"_I'm sensing treasure somewhere to your left_." Palutena said.

"How do you know that?" Pit asked.

"_From the heavens, I can see through your laurel crown to divine your surroundings_."

"Really? That's amazing!"

"_That's not all I can see, Pit. I can also see what's in your heart_." That made Pit pause a bit. "Oh...heh heh. That's really...something..."

"_So you better not be thinking about anything_... naughty." Palutena teased.

"What?! How did you-?"

"_Just kidding! Seriously, reading hearts through laurel crowns?" _Palutena said.

I know...I was...also kidding..." Pit said as he blushed.

"Sure _you were_." Palutena said. Pit said nothing but made his way to the left and went through a door. Once there, he found a treasure box. He went to open it, only for the Skuttler statues to come to life and attack him. Pit defeated them all and walked further down the room to find two treasure chests. He opened them both and took the hearts in them. He then went back to the interior garden and crossed the bridge. He then began to make his way down the bridge. "You're heading to the lower level of the interior garden." Palutena said.

Pit made his way down the stairs, but when he got to the interior garden, he was met with the most astonishing sight: Before him was a human. He was quite muscular and older than Pit, somewhere around thirty or forty. He had dark skin and long, black hair. He wore predominantly black clothing. His right arm was wrapped partially in cloth, while his left arm was decorated with a notably large tattoo that extended all the way to his neck. He wore a necklace made up of stones. He also had a small dagger stored in a scabbard attached to his shirt. He carried a massive blade that was as thick as it was sharp. The most astonishing thing about him was that he was fighting a group of Underworld monsters by himself.

"Look at _that_!" Pit shouted.

"_How did a_ human _make it into the castle?_" Palutena asked. Once the human finished fighting the monsters, he turned his attention to Pit. "Well, I didn't expect to see an angel here." He said in a deep voice. "Hope this doesn't mean I've kicked the bucket." But before he or Pit could continue, they were met by more Underworld forces. The human immediately attacked, slicing through the monsters with little difficulty. Pit could only stare in awe of this man. "_I think you should help him_." Palutena said.

"He's taking on the Underworld Army himself...and _suriviving_!" Pit said, still too in awe to move. "Are you sure this guy is really a human?"

"_Absolutely_."

"You having a private conversation with yourself, angel face?" The man asked, unable to hear Palutena's telepathic calls to Pit. Pit snapped out of his trance and began fighting. "Oh, right. sorry about that. I'm Pit, servant of the goddess Palutena. I'm here to defeat Dark Lord Gaol."

"So you're here for a slice of the pie too?" The man asked.

"Huh? Pie? Where?" Pit asked, having misunderstood his statement. "No, I mean... I'm here to defend the humans from the brutality of the Underworld Army."

"Sure, sure, you're the angel here." The man said. "But me, I'm in it for the reward money. Since we both want to take down Gaol, how about we work together?"

"I don't know about this." Pit replied. Though this man seemed to be against the Underworld Army, Pit knew next to nothing about him and was unsure whether to trust him.

"What have you got to lose? It'll be easier on both of us." The man assured him.

"Lady Palutena...what do you think?" Pit asked. "_He makes a compelling arguement_." she replied.

"All right then. Resuming mission Dark-Lord Suppression!" Pit said.

"I'm Magnus, by the way." He replied as he shook Pit's hand. "Pleased to meet you. Don't hit me and we'll get along just fine." The two then went to work, finishing off the remaining monsters. With them gone, the two began to make their way to the lower level of the castle. "I'll follow your lead from here." Magnus said. "I got your back." With this assurance, the two headed down into a cavern of some sorts. There, they encountered a group of Miks and a Fire Wymn. Pit dispactched the Miks with ease while Magnus dealt with the Fire Wymn by throwing its sword at it, bisecting it along the way. Pit couldn't help but be in awe of his strength. "Magnus sure is strong." Pit said aloud.

"_Yes, especially for a human_." Palutena replied.

"He must really want that reward."

"_He may not be made of the sturdiest moral fiber, but that's fine with me_."

"I'm surprised you feel that way."

"_Humans are driven by desire_." Palutena began. "_It's convienent to know what bait they'll chase_."

"That's kind of cold, but it makes sense. I guess." Pit replied for lack of a better answer, unused to hearing Palutena talk about humans that way. Magnus, somewhat preplexed by the conversation, tapped Pit on the head. "Hey, if you're chatting with your precious goddess, give her a message from me." He said. "Tell her she's been sleeping on the job! My world is on the edge of collapse!"

"I take it back. this guy's a jerk." Palutena said.

"O...K..." Pit said, unsure what to say. With that done, the two made their way into the next room and were confronted by a group of Skuttlers and Handoras, hand shaped cycloptic monsters. "You might want to stand back, angel face." Pit said. Pit stood a good distance from Magnus. The swordsman began to twirl his sword overhead, causing a vacumn of wind that drew in all the nearby monsters. After twirling it enough, Magnus gave it one powerful slam to the ground. The shockwave instantly obliterated all of the monsters. "Whoa! That was amazing!" Pit said. "Eh, it's all in the wrist." Magnus replied.

The two then took an elevator up. Turning to the right, Pit entered a door and found something that made his heart flutter with glee. "Wait, is this...ha! It is! A hot spring!" Pit said as he ran to bathe in the golden water. Love of hot springs was universal among the heavens, but no one apprecieated hot springs more than Pit. Odds are if he wasn't exersicing, then he was bathing in a hot spring.

"Apparently someone likes his spa time." Magnus said with some slight amusement.

"Ahhh... now that's what I'm talking about!" Pit said as the springs healing properties went to work on his wounds.

"You go in fully dressed?" Magnus asked. "Don't you at least want to change into a...swimming tunic or something?"

"Oh no no no!" Pit responded. "The angel's code of conduct says that we must always be ready for duty."

"I guess you wouldn't be an angel if you didn't do things by the book." Magnus said.

"Yeah... and I don't want to steam the sacred buns." Pit added.

"We're done talking about this." Magnus said as he walked out the room with Pit close behind him. The duo headed straight down to find a treasure box. "Yeah! A treasure box!" he exclaimed as he ran towards it.

"That's clearly a trap." Magnus replied. "Think about it. Who would leave treasure just lying around outside?" Pit couldn't hear him, however, as he was already near the box. The minute he opened it, Pit and Magnus found themselves trapped by a purple barrier and surrounded by monsters. "What is wrong with you?!" Magnus asked, clearly annoyed.

"If there's a treasure box, I open it!" Pit protested. "I can't help it!"

"Okay, see how long you survive with that strategy." Magnus said.

"Don't blame me, blame the author."

"The author?" Magnus asked.

"The guy writing this fanfic." Pit replied. "He wanted me to open the box."

"Fanfic?!" Magnus shouted. "This isn't a-! Never mind." Magnus began to attack the Underworld monsters, too annoyed to deal with Pit's fourth wall breaking. Pit meanwhile, tossed another Smart Bomb into the Belunka's mouth, killing it instantly and preventing reinforcements from arriving. He then helped Magnus finish off the rest of the Underworld troops. They then headed back through a door into a large stairway. "Look's like a long way up." Pit complained as he looked up, mentally cursing his inability to fly.

"What, your legs not work or something?" Magnus said as he ran up the stairs, cutting down any monster unfortunate enough to stand in his path. "Hey, wait up!" Pit ran after him. The two finally made it to the top of the staircase. "I think we're closing in on Gaol's lair." Pit said.

"I hope you're ready." Magnus said. Pit grabbed the nearby Drink of the Gods before he entered the throne room. The room was large and darkly colored. At the other end was a large throne. Seated on the throne was an intimidating figure clad in knight-like armor. The armor was mostly colored purple and red. The armor covered the figure so completely that the only visible features were his glowing green eyes. Green energy radiated from his hands as well. The figure's most noticable features were his red cape, which was patterned with many eyes on it, and his helmet which had two large, curved horns protruding from it.

"Prepare for defeat, Dark Lord Gaol!" Pit proclaimed.

"Aw, Palutena's little messenger boy." Gaol responded with a disorted, demonic voice. "And Magnus, it's always a pleasure!"

"Sorry I'm late. I had other buisness to attend to." Magnus said as he dropped into a battle stance. "Wait, you two know each other?" Pit asked. But he recieved no response as Magnus charged at the dark lord, his blade raised. Gaol responded by protecting himself with his cape, causing a blue barrier to appear in front of him, blocking the attack. Gaol then hovered in the air and responded with a hard punch that sent Magnus flying. The mercenary sprung back to his feet and attacked with a flying kick, knocking Gaol backwards a bit. Magnus leaped upwards to perform a downward strike, only for the dark lord to summon his own cursed sword and lock blades with Magnus.

"It's so typical of you to pawn off your work on someone else. " he said.

"Hey! In this economy, everyone's looking for work. Even part-time work." Magnus said as he threw Gaol off. Magnus tried to attack, only for Gaol to move to the side and deliver a spin that knocked Magnus on his back. "That's funny." Gaol began. "Buisness is booming for me. We're even hiring more staff!" To further emphazise his point, Gaol summoned two Skuttlers. "Huh. So these are the new hires?" Magnus asked with sarcasm as he attacked the Underworld monsters.

Pit, meanwhile, could do nothing but watch as the whole spectacle unfolded. He knew he should be fighting, but he couldn't help but be captivated by the ferocity of the two combatants. "Uh...Lady Palutena?"

"_I don't know much about the situation, but it seems that Magnus and Gaol used to be close friends_." Palutena responded.

"What?! Seriously?!" Pit asked. Seeing the two of them fighting, he found that hard to believe.

"_They were part of the same band of monster-fighting mercenaries_." Palutena began. "_But Gaol's heart was weak, and he couldn't resist the temptation of the Underworld_."

"Seeing them fighting, it's hard to believe they were ever friends." Pit replied.

"_Magnus only knows one way to fight: ferociously_." _Palutena said. "Perhaps his fire is fueled by the child he lost to Underworld troops_."

"I had no idea." Pit replied. "That's so sad..." His thoughts were interrupted by an incoming Magnus, having been sent flying by a blast of dark energy. He landed right next to Pit. "Hey, enough chitchat! We need to concentrate here!" Magnus said.

"Oh, right!" Pit said as he quickly fired a shot from his Palutena Blade, hitting the dark lord square in the chest. "Feeling a little agitated, Magnus?" Gaol taunted.

"Don't make me laugh, 'dark lord'! Now put on some pants, and fight like a man." Magnus roared as he charged towards Gaol. Pit followed suit. Gaol raised his hands as he began to glow with dark energy. As the two heroes closed in on him, Gaol slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the two flying towards a wall. Pit retaliated by firing a charged shot at Gaol, only for the dark lord to throw up a barrier that reflected it back. Pit got out of the way as Magnus rushed at him to attack with his sword. Gaol grabbed the blade and fired a green energy blast at Magnus's chest, sending him back. Gaol then charged up an orange energy beam and fired, but Pit stepped in with a relfect barrier of his own.

"We need a new strategy, Angel face." Magnus said. "This isn't working."

"Actually, I have a plan." Pit replied. "Give me the alley-oop."

"Hope you know what your doing." Magnus muttered as he held out his hand. Pit stepped on it and Magnus tossed him over the barrier. Pit managed to land a solid kick on Gaol head, disorenting the dark lord a bit. Magnus took the opportunity to deliver another kick to his chest, sending him to the ground. Before Gaol could react, Pit pulled out his Capricorn Club and fired a spiraling charged shot that sent him flying into the throne. Gaol rose up, but there was a noticable crack in the armor. Seeing this, Pit pulled out a boom spear and threw it at Gaol. The spear pierced the armor, but didn't seem to have an effect. "That's the best you got?" he taunted.

"Wait for it." Pit said. He wouldn't have to wait long as the spear exploded, leaving a noticable hole in the armor. Pit sezied the opportunity to fire another charged shot from his club. The dark lord screamed as the blast left its mark. "Dark Lord supressed!" Pit shouted.

"Nice work, angel face!" Magnus replied. Gaol staggered around a bit, his hands on his chest as dark energy poured out of the armor. Gaol fell to the ground, his armor shattering on impact. That's when something strange happened. On closer inspection, it was revealed that the "dark lord" was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. "I'm sorry it had to come to this." Magnus said as he kneeled down next to Gaol, his tone heavy with remorse.

"Gaol was a human? I-I didn't know. What have I done?" Pit couldn't believe it. He didn't like to have to resort to killing someone, particularly a human. "_You can't feel bad_." Palutena began. "_Just think of all the other people you saved_. _Besides, it looks like she's still holding on."_

"Really?" Pit asked as he began to run to see. "_But we need to regroup_. _The war against Medusa is just starting_." Palutena said as she extracted Pit from the castle. Magnus looked over his shoulder to see Pit had vanished. "Well, that was weird." he muttered to himself.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, in the Underworld Castle...**_

"So, Gaol has been defeated?" Medusa asked Tanatos.

"I'm afraid so. I guess they just don't make dark lord's like they used to. Hoo hoo." he replied. Medusa let out a frustrated hiss in response. She really hated hearing bad news. "Typical, never send a human to do a goddess's job." She said.

"So, what are your orders?" Tanatos asked.

"Summon Commander Hewdraw." Medusa replied. "Tell him to ready his forces and prepare for an all out assault on Skyworld."

"Are you sure?" Tanatos asked. "It's pretty risky."

"Sometimes you have to take risks to get ahead in life." Medusa replied. "And the best way to stop a problem is to cut it off at the source. Besides, I'm sure Hewdraw is more than enough to get rid of Pit."

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: Heads of the Hewdraw. The Underworld Army launches an all out assault on Skyworld! Pit must defend his beloved homeland from the evil army, and square off against Hewdraw. ****Will Pit and Palutena be able to survive an assault from Hewdraw? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	4. Chapter 3: Heads of the Hewdraw

**Previous Chapter recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Pit's mission had him face-to-face with the Underworld general, Dark Lord Gaol. Teaming up with a human mercenary named Magnus, the two managed to defeat the dark lord, who turned out to be a human woman under control. Now Pit must face a new threat as the Underworld begins an assault on Skyworld. Can Pit thwart this attack? Find out, now!**

"_Hurry, Pit!_" Came the frantic, telepathic call from Palutena as Pit down the hall. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"_Medusa has brought the fight to our realm. Her forces are invading Skyworld!_" Palutena responded. And sure enough, when Pit jumped out, he was confronted by a mob of Underworld monsters. Pit pulled out his orbitars and opened fire on the enemy. "She must be getting back at us for taking down Dark Lord Gaol." Pit sumrised. "_Medusa's venom knows no bounds_." Palutena began. "_But I know you can stop her Underworld Army_."

"You sure have a lot of faith in me, Lady Palutena." Pit sighed as he began to battle the Underworld forces. The monsters were quite numerous. No matter how many times he cut them down, more would rise to take their place. Pit could feel himself on the verge of exhaustion. "Don't these guys ever get tired?" Pit asked as he took out a few Underworld corals and a Belunka.

"_At this rate, the power of flight is going to expire before they do_." Palutena mused.

"Then let's go after the commander!" Pit suggested.

"_There's just one thing you should know_." Palutena began. "_Their commander is Hewdraw_."

"Hewdraw?" Pit asked. "Like, this guy?" Immediately, the image of an blue, 8-bit serpent came to Pit's mind. "_And speak of the devil-there he is!_" Palutena said. Pit turned to see a large, purple, three-headed serpent-like creature flying in the distance. "He can fly?" Pit asked with shock and a bit of jealousy due to his inability to fly.

"_I think the only one who_ can't _fly by himself is_ you." Palutena said.

"Ouch." came the reply. "That's harsh!"

"_Don't sulk, Pit. It's undignified_." Palutena chided. "_But you're right: attacking the leader is a good plan_."

"Then let's do this!" Pit said as he flew toward the serpent, cutting down Underworld forces as he did. It wasn't long before he reached Hewdraw. The serpent had no wings, but instead small fins. The three heads all had a crescent shaped horn on their head as well as a smaller one on the nose. They all had fins on the side of their heads that served as makeshift ears. Each of its three heads was a different color: the left head was blue, the middle head was violet, the right head was red.

"Hello, there!" The blue Hewdraw greeted in a deep, gruff voice.

"It's snack time!" The violet Hewdraw said with a slight british accent.

"Mmmm! What a tender little morsel!" said the red Hewdraw.

"I am _not_ a piece of meat!" Pit retorted.

"What did you say?" Came the red Hewdraw's incensed reply.

"Technically, you _are!" _The violet Hewdraw said.

"Just come a little closer..." The blue Hewdraw invited.

"Get ready, cause it's time for-"

"Total annihilation! Bone-crushing destruction! Face-stomping carnage!" Hewdraws red, blue, and violet said in unison, interrupting Pit's rally cry. The three heads then looked at each other for a bit. "It was _my_ turn to have the last word!" The violet Hewdraw said.

"Oh, give it a rest." The blue Hewdraw said as he rolled his eyes.

"Let's not argue in front of company." The red Hewdraw said in an attempt to keep it calm.

"Cram a sock in it, foot face!" the purple Hewdraw snapped at the red.

"I'm soooo sick of you guys." The blue Hewdraw whined.

"Me?! What did I do?!" The red Hewdraw asked.

"Knock it off already!" Came the reply from the blue Hewdraw.

"You knock it off!" The red Hewdraw snapped at the blue.

"I can't believe this is my life." The purple Hewdraw said as he shook his head.

"Can we go home and watch TV now?" The Blue Hewdraw asked.

"Would everyone just shut it?!" The red Hewdraw asked, growing increasingly annoyed.

"Someone put me out of my misery." The purple Hewdraw muttered.

"Did I mention I'm starving?" The red Hewdraw asked.

"And you think _we're_ not?!" The purple Hewdraw asked. Eventually, their arguing became so fernetic that neither Pit, Palutena, nor the author could process what they were saying. Pit could do nothing but stare, confused by the whole thing. "Um... now what?" Pit finally asked. "_This is never going to end_." Palutena replied. "_Just go ahead and attack_." Pit simply shrugged, pulled out his EZ Cannon, and fired a charged shot at the Hewdraws, stopping their argument.

"Everyone shut up and focus!" The three Hewdraws shouted at each other. The red Hewdraw opened fire with a crecent shaped blast of dark energy from it's horn. Pit swerved to the right to avoid the blast just as the blue Hewdraw fired a sweeping beam from its mouth. Pit avoided the beam and unfortunately landed in the path of the purple Hewdraw as it lunged at Pit, knocking him backwards. Pit pulled out his Optical Blade and fired a charged shot at the purple Hewdraw, hitting it squarely in the snout. The beast reared back its head as flames generated in its mouth. It then unleashed a stream of fire in Pit's general direction.

Pit moved out the way as the fire closed in on him. He then moved toward the blue Hewdraw. The red Hewdraw noticed this and fired another beam at Pit. Pit moved out of the way and the beam hit the blue Hewdraw square in the cheek. "Ow! Watch where you're firing, you clown!" the blue Hewdraw shouted.

"Well, move out of the way, dumbass!" The red Hewdraw shouted back. The purple Hewdraw rolled his eyes and lunged at Pit again. But this time the angel moved to the side and decapitated the purple Hewdraw. The other two Hewdraws gave a gasp of horror. "That's it! This little twerp's mine!" The red Hewdraw said as he lunged at Pit. "No, I saw him first!" The blue Hewdraw said as he lunged at Pit as well. Pit moved upward just as the two Hewdraws collided with each other. They then gave each other annoyed looks. "Watch where you're going, you fool!" The blue Hewdraw snapped.

"You watch where _you're_ going!" The red Hewdraw snapped back. "Heads up!" Pit shouted. The two Hewdraws looked to see Pit diving at them with his Optical Blade outstretched. Before either of them could react, Pit sliced off the red Hewdraw head. "Oh! I'm the only one left!" the Blue Hewdraw shouted.

"Actually, I'd say you're the only one right!" Pit quipped, but there came no reply. "...Get it? Right?"

"No biggie. In fact, I feel _great_ losing all that dead weight!" The blue Hewdraw said as he shot a fireball in Pit's direction. Pit took out his Aquarius Blade and sliced at the fireball, causing it to evaporate. The Hewdraw retaliated with shots fired from its yellow eyes. Pit dodged them with ease. Then Pit heard a telepathic message from Palutena. "_I'm readying my Palutena Glam Blaster for deployment_." she said. "_Once preperations are complete, I will launch an attack_."

"You don't have to do that!" Pit insisted. "Let _me_ handle it!" The Hewdraw charged up another stream of fire, but Pit threw a grenade into the monster's maw, the flames causing it to explode and grievously wound the Hewdraw. "_OK, charging complete_." Palutena said. "_The Sacred Goddess Clobberlaser is ready for deployment!_"

"Wait, I thought it was a Glam-" But before Pit could finish his sentence, a large columm of light enveloped Hewdraw. Pit screamed and narrowly dodged the powerful beam of light. When it dissapated. The Hewdraw was left a floating, roasted mess. "No!" The Hewdraw shouted hoarsely. "I'm too pretty to die!" It then fell to the ground and exploded. "You could have obliterated me!" Pit shouted at Palutena.

"_Oh, do you think I overdid it?_" She sheepishly asked. "_Two fo the heads got away. Hurry! After them!_" Pit dived down to the surface world below, taking out more underworld forces as he did. "_The Underworld forces are retreating_." Palutena said.

"Mission accomplished!" Pit proclaimed. "_Far from it_." Palutena said. "_Those two Hewdraw heads are still alive. They've plunged into the human world below and taken their legion with them!_"

"Then we better do something!" Pit continued his decent into the human world until he stopped in an open field. "Huh. Um..." Pit looked around, but could find no sign of the Hewdraw heads until he spotted a town on the horizon. In the town, he saw the Hewdraw heads causing havoc. "This is bad!" he shouted.

"_Let's hurry. For a pair of disembodied heads, they sure moved fast!_" Palutena shouted as she sped up Pit's wings. Pit made it to the town and flew over it to get an aerial view of the town, but the Hewdraw heads seemed to have simply vanished. "I don't see the Hewdraw heads anywhere!" Pit said as concern and panic began to grow. "Where'd they go?!"

"_Don't lose_ your _head too, Pit_." Palutena said. "Let's check the town." Pit then flew over the town gate. "Hoo-hooo-yah!" he said as he landed in the town. Pit looked around the town to assess the damage. The town was in bad shape, but not too damaged. "The people have all gone into hiding, but where do those Hewdraw heads go?"

"_They could be anywhere. We need to stop them before they wreak even_ more _havoc!_" Palutena said. "_As you search for them, take out any Underworld troops that cross your path_." Passing through a nearby alley, Pit made his way through a courtyard and was attacked by a pair of Commyloose. Dodging their missiles, Pit slew them both and forged ahead. That's when he came face-to-face with a Stackjaw. Dodging the creature's rotating laser with a Sky jump power, Pit brought his Palutena blade down onto the monster, bisecting it in half. Making his way up some steps, he was ambushed by an Underworld Komayto. Pit staggered backwards as he tried to shake the creature off. He then fell into a hole, only to jump back out. "_That looks like a jump pad in there_." Palutena said.

"Get up, fall down. Get up, fall down. Fight in the air, fight on the ground." Pit said.

"_It's the story of your life, isn't it?_"

"Peaks and valleys, highs and lows. Pick your friends, not your nose." Pit then moved on and came across a string of houses with Jump pads ahead. Using the jump pads, Pit strung his jumps together and made his way across the rooftops. "Woop! This is great! Yeah!" he shouted as jumped across the rooftops. Landing in an alleyway, Pit found a key lying on the ground. Thinking it could be useful later, Pit picked it up and moved to the right. But he didn't get very far before he recieved another telepathic warning from Palutena. "_Watch out!_" Pit barely had time to dodge before the red Hewdraw head came charging through the house. "That came out of nowhere!" he exclaimed.

"You're going to need help against surprise attacks like that." Palutena said. "Go to the courtyard ahead and I'll grant you a gift."

"Really? That'd be great!" Pit said as he reached the courtyard. But before he could do anything, he was stopped by an Underworld Merenguy. The creature's bizarre dance moves kept Pit mesmerized as a Fire Wymn charged at him, knocking him to the ground. Pit got up and fired a shot at the Merenguy, then fired another at the Fire Wymn. With those two gone, Pit made it to the courtyard door only to find it locked. Remebering the key from earlier, Pit unlocked the door and went inside. "I'm ready for that gift now, Lady Palutena!" Pit said.

"All right then!" A purple mist then briefly materialized in the courtyard. When it was gone, Pit was left unchanged and very confused. "Uh... what just happened?" Pit asked. His answer came in the form of the red Hewdraw head appearing behind him! Pit screamed and ran to a safe distance. "_Do you like the gift?_" Palutena asked. "_It's my patened monster pheromone! Monsters just_ love _the smell of it. And now it's all over you!"_

"What?!" Came Pit's annoyed reply. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?!"

"Did you do something with your hair?" The red Hewdraw asked as he bounced after Pit. "You're suddenly looking very attractive."

"_Luckily, the pheromone only attracted one of the heads_." Palutena said. "_I was wondering what you would've done if both of them had shown up_."

"And you _still_ went through with it?!" Pit asked as he narrowly dodged the Hewdraw's bite. "I would've been finished for sure!"

"_Despite my wimsomenss and equanimity, I_ do _have a strong streak of rascality_." Palutena replied.

"I don't even know what that means!" Pit shouted. The Hewdraw head began to charge him and Pit responded by firing a charged shot from his Palutena bow into its mouth, stunning it. The Hewdraw head got back up. "I have a special treat for you!" It said. "But you have to come get it."

"_Don't believe him, Pit!_" Palutena said. "Why shouldn't he?" the Hewdraw Head asked. "Look at this face! I'm totally trustworthy!" Pit said nothing but fired at the Hewdraw. The Hewdraw moved to avoid the shots, and charged at Pit again. Pit threw a grenade into the beast's mouth, a move that proved to be the mortal blow. The monster fell on its side. "Before I die," he began weakly, "I just wanna say-" He didn't get to finish that statement as he promptly exploded. "Whew. That was dicey." Pit said with a sigh.

"_I wonder what he was going to say_." Palutena mused. "_Well, I don't think I'll be using the monster pheromone in the future_."

"I would hope not!" Pit snapped.

"_What I mean is I_ _won't_ need _to use it_." Palutena replied.

"Why do you say that?"

"_I located the other head_." She said. "_Let's go to the lake outside of town_." Pit headed out of the courtyard and dropped into a well. "What is this? A well?" he asked. "_That's not important. Just keep moving foward_." Palutena said. Pit made his way through the well and accidently shot a Shulm, causing it to explode with poison gas. Using an Effect Recovery power, Pit warded off the posion. "_The other Hewdraw head is regenerating its body at the lake_." Palutena informed him.

"You don't think it'll have three heads again, do you?!" Pit asked, not wanting to listen to their bickering again. "_I should hope not_." Palutena replied. "_Their bickering was intolerable_." Pit made it out of the tunnel and used a jump pad to launch himself into another part of town... and into a waiting mob of Underworld forces. "It's an ambush!" Palutena shouted.

"Yeah, that's right! _My_ ambush!" Pit said. "You're going down, monsters!" The first wave consisted of a Minos, a Daphne, and a Komayto. Pit pulled out his Palutena Blade and slashed at the Komayto before firing a charged shot at the Daphne. He then fired a shot at the Minos, getting out of the way when it exploded in a flash of spines. The next wave consisted of two Ganwmedes and a Mega Mussel. Pit came up with an idea. He pulled out a Boom Rocket item and planted it on the ground. The rocket shot upwards. Pit dodged the shots from the Mega Mussel as the rocket descended with a big, fiery explosion, killing the second wave. The final wave had a Stackjaw, a Syren, and a Merenguy. Pit quickly killed off the Merenguy and the Syren before leaping up and bringing his Blade down on the Stackjaw, cutting it in half. With the final wave defeated, the barrier surrounding Pit dissapated and he made his way down the bridge. "_I think we're finally close to the last Hewdraw head_." Palutena said. "_Are you ready?_"

"Ready, willing, and able!" Pit said as he made his way through the door. He made it to the lake to find the Hewdraw swimming in it with a completely regenerated torso. The Hewdraw rose from the lake and roared at Pit. "So, you've finished off the others, eh?"

"You know it!" Pit proclaimed.

"Then you've saved the best for last! Let's get down to _business!" _Hewdraw then spat three fireballs in Pit's direction. Pit dodged them all and fired a charged shot from his Blade that hit the beast square in the snout. "You don't seem too upset that I killed your brothers." Pit said.

"Oh, please." The Hewdraw replied dismissively. "Lady Medusa thought I'd be a more effiecent commander with three heads, but they've been nothing but a pain in the tail! Now thank's to you, I'm free! And I'm going to prove that one head's better than three!"

"I highly doubt that." Pit said as he fired three more shots from his bow. The Hewdraw dodged them by going underwater. "Hey, come back up and fight like a man!" Pit said. The Hewdraw responded by firing off scales that homed in on Pit. Pit slashed away at them with his Palutena Blade and noticed the floating orange orbs. That gave Pit an idea. Pit fired at the orb just as the Hewdraw swam under it. The orb exploded, launching Hewdraw into the air and on the ground. Pit took the opportunity to slash away at Hewdraw with his blade. Hewdraw struggled a bit, but eventually managed to get back in the lake. The beast then retalitated with a crescent blast of energy from its horn. Pit dodged the blast, but was caught off guard when Hewdraw grabbed Pit with it's tail and dragged him deep underwater.

"Now I can breathe underwater." Hewdraw said. "I don't think you are of the same mettle." Holding his breath, Pit stabbed the Hewdraw with its tail, causing it to howl in pain. Pit took the opportunity and swam to the surface. The enraged Hewdraw fired a beam of energy from its mouth. Pit swam to dodge the beam. "Bye bye, Pit!" Hewdraw shouted as he lunged at Pit. Pit took out his Burning Palm and placed his hand in the water, causing a smokescreen just as Hewdraw lunged at him. "Where'd he go?" he said as he looked around frantically.

"Oh, Hewdraw." Pit taunted in a singsong voice. Hewdraw looked to see Pit on the shore with an Electroshock Arm. He placed it in the water, causing electricity to flow through the lake and electrocute Hewdraw severely. Hewdraw screamed as pain and electricity spider-webbed through his serpentine body. Pit took out his bow and fired a charged shot straight through the monster's heart. "Mission complete!" Pit said.

"_That's another one of Medusa's commanders out of the way!_" Palutena said. Hewdraw writhed in pain before saying, "Look how far you've come, Pit. I'm proud of you." The beast then fell in the water and exploded. "Huh. You usually don't meet such nice bosses." Pit said.

"_Let's get you back_." Palutena said as she extracted him. Though Pit was happy that he had slain another of Medusa's commanders, he knew that the goddess of darkness would be more dangerous than ever.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: The Reaper's Line of Sight. Next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! In an attempt to locate Pandora, the Goddess of Calamity, Pit's next mission has him infiltrating the terrifying home of the Reapers. Will Pit survive this mission, or will the Reapers add his soul to their collection? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	5. Chapter 4: The Reapers Line of Sight

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! In retaliation for defeating Dark Lord Gaol, Medusa launched a two pronged assault on Skyworld and the Overworld. Facing off against the monstorous Three-Headed Hewdraw, Pit managed to thwart the vicious attack and prevent serious damage. Now his mission takes him through a perilous journey through Reaper Valley. Find out what happens, now!**

"Here we go!" Pit said as he ran out the door. "So, what's our mission this time?"

"_You remember Reaper's, don't you?_" Palutena asked. "_From the Underworld?_"

"Not _those_ guys!" Pit whined. Reapers were one of the most annoiying enemies in the first game for him. "They're always freaking out and calling in their little Reapettes. Ugh, I'm getting worked up just _thinking_ about it!"

"_Yes, anyway_..." Palutena began, trying to bring Pit's attention to the matter at hand. "_About the Reapers_..."

"Sorry, sorry, go on."

"_They have a fortress near the entrance to the Underworld in Reaper Valley_." Palutena continued.

"Heh." Pit chuckled. "Which is where? Reaper Boulevard? But seriously, thank _goodness_ we don't have to go there, right?" Pit's question was met with silence from Palutena. "That silence means we have to go there, doesn't it? Would you at least tell me _why_ you want to go to a place crawling with Reapers?" Pit asked as he flew down closer to the surface.

"_I'm trying to find another one of Medusa's commanders, Pandora_." Palutena replied.

"The goddess of disaster and calamity?" Pit asked. "_That_ Pandora?"

"_Yes, and she's currently residing in the Labyrinth of Deceit_." she said. "_However, some force in the Reaper fortress is obscuring the labyrinth's location. I can't find it, not even with my all-seeing Eye of Palutena_."

"Wait," Pit began, a bit confused. "if you have an all-seeing eye, why can't you see Pandora's location?"

"_Because of my slightly botched laser eye surgery_." Palutena said.

"Are you messing with me again?"

"_Maybe_." she remarked. "_Regardless, your job for now is to infiltrate the Reaper Fortress!_"

"R-Roger that!" Pit hesitantly replied. Sometimes he hated that he was so obiedient. Pit continued flying, taking out Underworld monsters as he did. But as he continued, he saw something very unusual on the horizon. They appeared to be small red lights. "What are those red lights?" Pit said as he flew closer to inspect. "Are they... Reaper eyes?!" Palutena asked. And sure enough, it was a mob of Reapers out for another soul harvest. Upon spotting Pit, the Reapers summoned their Reapettes to attack. "This is really bad!" Pit said as he began to retreat. "_We need to find you a safe route_." Palutena said. "_Down there is your only option!_" She then guided Pit to a large ravine. "_This ravine should take you to the Reaper fortress_." she began. "_But it's tight, so be careful. If you get stuck, I won't have time to get you out_."

"Man, things are really heating up!" Pit said. "Time to bust through here! Full speed ahead!"

"_Excellent idea, Pit._" Palutena said. "Naturally, I had the same thought. Let me help." She then began to speed up Pit's wings. Pit flew through the ravine, taking out any Underworld troops that crossed him. He then caught sight of a windstorm. "_Is that a windstorm up ahead?!_" Palutena asked. "_Hang on!_" She tried to steer Pit away from the windstorm. "Ow!" he said. "_Don't be such a baby_." Palutena said. "_It's only wind_. _I mean, at least it's not poison or acid wind. Then you'd be in_ real _trouble_."

"Ooh, lucky me." came Pit's sarcastic reply as he flew straight into a cave. "_Your heading into a cave now. Be careful!_" Palutena said. Outside the cave, A Mega Mussel was taking shots at him. Pit dispatched the creature with a grenade and flew out the cave. The Underworld forces began to appear en masse now. "_There are many enemies ahead!_" came Pautena's warning. "I'll take care of em!" Pit replied as he took out his Leo Cannon and opened fire on the Underworld monsters. Eventually, he reached a wall. "_This looks like a dead end_." Palutena said. "_There must be a way out... Hmm..._" She then began to look for an exit until she spotted a cave. "_Down there! I'm getting you out_." She steered Pit through the cave as he took out some Handoras.

"_The Underworld forces really stepped up their game!_" Pit shouted.

"_I doubt those underlings managed it on their own_." Palutena mused. "_It's a sure sign that Medusa is back in power_." Pit then flew through another, longer cave. "_You're almost there!_" Palutena said. "_3... 2... 1... Contact!_" Pit flew out of the cave and found himself staring at the intimidating sight of the Reaper fortress. The castle was made entirely out of rock and bone. The main building itself was lined with animal skulls and massive, tusk-like structures that curved around the entire fortress. There were also two curving lines of pillars holding up what look like large vertebrae. These structures also supported two towers standing on each side of a small bridge that leads straight to the entrance of the fortress. This was the central hub where souls traveled to the Underworld. Pit was ready to fly into the castle, only to be stopped when the fortress opened fire with its many laser turrets. "Whooaaa! It's hot hot _hot_ here!" Pit shouted as he tried his best to avoid the lasers.

"_There's no chance of getting in from above_." Palutena said. "_You'll have to break through the front_." Pit then flew to the front gate, taking out the Reaper lookout. Running along the bridge, he took out his Capricorn Club and held it outstretched in front of him, using it as a battering ram. "Here we goooo!" Pit shouted as he charged through the door. He then fell to the ground. "_Pit! Are you all right?_" Palutena asked, concerned.

"Never...better..." Pit groaned as he got back up. "_Then let's get moving. The force obscuring Pandora is deep within this fortress_."

"Understood." Pit said as he began to move. "_Now listen, Pit." Palutena began. "Reapers may look all evil and crazy, but there's a good reason for that_."

"What is it?" Pit asked.

"_They_ are _evil and crazy_." Palutena said. "Of course." Pit replied.

"_But here's a little tip: They won't bother you if you stay out of their sight_."

"So it's a stealth mission. Great." Pit said with sarcasm. Heading to the right, he made his way to another hallway where he saw a Reaper patrolling. Pit activated his Vanish power and silently moved by the Reaper, but not before giving it a good kick in the rear. The reaper looked around a bit, but saw nothing and began to move away. That made Pit chuckle a bit as he felt superior. Unfortunately, the chuckle was heard by the Reaper. "Who said that?!" he said. Pit ran up the stairs and through the door, leaving the Reaper alone. "I'm hearing things now." The Reaper said to himself. "Time to take a vacation."

Pit's Vanish power wore off and he found himself confronted by a Specknose and a Skuttler Mage. Pit dispatched them, but before going any further he realized something. "Considering this is the Reaper fortress, there really aren't many Reapers." he said.

"_There must be a huge soul harvest going on somewhere._" Palutena replied.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"_Reapers are soul carriers_." she began. "_When a being dies, they take its soul to the Underworld. The humans probably started another war, which means a lot more souls to deal with_. "

"Why are they always fighting? It's so sad and pointless." Pit asked. He had been in this career for years now. He had seen humans do horrible, unimaginable things to each other. Sometimes he questioned why he had to protect humans from the Underworld if they can't even protect themselves from each other. "_Yes, but we gods fight too_," Palutena said. "_and when we do, humans are always caught in the middle_."

"So, this war against the Underworld Army is causing the Reapers to work overtime." Pit said.

"I'm _the one who should be working overtime. Then there'd be less soul harvesting_." Palutena replied with some sadness in her tone. "_Humans get frustrated, even destructive, when we gods don't provide for their welfare_."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Pit said. "Everyone _loves_ the goddess of light! You know that!"

"_Thank you, Pit. I do my best_." Palutena said. Pit always knew how to cheer her up. "_Now, then, let's proceed_." Heading upward, Pit saw something strange. It looked like a rail of some sort. Seeing no other way foward, Pit hopped on. "Whoa-ho-ho! Nice!" he said.

"_That's a grind rail_." Palutena said. "_It beats walking, huh? You can ride it right into the courtyard. You know, no one else can use or even see grind rails. Consider them another gift from me to you."_

"Thanks, Lady Palutena." Pit said. "You know I appreciate all you do for me. But I'd appreciate it even more if the grind rail went to the boss."

"_Unfortunately, that's not possible_." Palutena said.

"But-"

"_Nope, not possible_." she said. Pit sighed and walked through the main door. Walking through the hallway, he encountered an enemy that he hated even more than the reapers: An Eggplant Wizard. "Not _this_ guy!"

"_An Eggplant Wizard_." Palutena said.

"But I don't wanna be an eggplant again!" he whined.

"_Way back when, you had to visit a nurse to get fixed up, remember?_" she asked.

"I was there so much they named the place after me. Hos-_pit_-al. Get it?" Pit asked. The only response he got from Palutena was silence. Pit had a genuine sense of humor, but his jokes weren't really that amusing at times. "It's _funny_. It's _okay_ to laugh!"

"_No, it's really not_." she said. "_Anyway, there aren't any hospitals in this fanfic_."

"_What?!_ But what am I gonna do?!" he asked.

"_Calm down, Pit_." she said. "_I can help you with this, too. If you're turned into an eggplant, my powers will transform you back. After a while_."

"Thanks, Lady Palutena." he said. Pit charged at the Eggplant Wizard, only for the Underworld monster to teleport out of the way and leave an eggplant bomb behind. The bomb exploded, turning the poor angel into an eggplant with legs. Pit wandered around for a few seconds until Palutena's powers changed him back. The Eggplant Wizard, meanwhile, was laughiing his head off. "Laugh at _this!_" Pit shouted as he pulled out his EZ Cannon and fired at the monster, killing it instantly. "Well, that was some disproportionate retribution." He mused to himself. He then walked to the next room and found a bridge with pendulums swinging from it. "Those blades look like they could really put a hurt on someone." he said.

"_Be careful not to fall_." Palutena replied. Pit managed to make it across, using well-timed dodges to avoid the pendulum blades. He made it outside and used a jump pad to ascend to the second level of the Fortress. "_There are Reapers creeping around in there_." came Palutena's warning. "_They'll summon Reapettes if they see you, so be careful_." Pit once again activated his Vanish power and entered the room. There were three Reapers in there. Pit tried his best to avoid them all, but his vanish Power wore off. Detecting Pit, the Reapers let out a piercing scream and chased Pit down as they summoned their Reapettes. Knowing he couldn't fight them all, Pit ran out of the room.

Dropping down into another hallway, Pit ran into another room and was surrounded by a Gloomerang and four Handoras. Pit defeated them all, causing a grind rail to appear. "Nice, another grind rail." he said. "_This one works a bit differently_." Palutena said. "_As you're riding it, shoot the targets on the walls. This will extend the rail to your destination._"

"That sounds easy enough." Pit said. "_Just keep in mind that you can try it as many times as you need to_." Following Palutena's instructions, Pit rode on the grind rail, taking out the targets as he did. In a short time, he managed to make it to the top of the room. He took the elevator down to the bottom of the fortress. "_Well, well. It appears that this place is equipped with some hot springs_." Palutena said.

"Woo hoo!" Pit cheered. "I could use a little R and R right about now." Pit said as he ran to the right. But once he got there, he was a bit creeped out by what he saw: It was a Reaper lounging in a purple hot spring. The Reaper had its back turned to Pit. "_There's something strange about this hot spring_..." Palutena said.

"Huh?"

"_The steam seems a little... _evil." Pit paused for a few moments before backing away. "Uuhh... That's probably not a good sign. I'll just keep moving." Pit then ran to the left and lounged in a regular hot spring. He took a deep sigh as the springs healing effects went to work. Once done, he traveled to the middle hall, avoiding two guillotines as he traveled to a room that was purple lit. "_You're closing in on the force that's obscuring Pandora's location_." Palutena informed him.

"Yeah I figured the evil lighting wasn't just for show." Pit said as he walked through the door. Pit was then confronted by a lone Reaper. The Reaper spotted Pit, but instead of panicing and summoning Reapettes, it merely said. "Ah, company. Delightful. Let me introduce myself. I am the leader of the Reapers. You can call me Cronus. You must be Pit. I've heard a great deal about you. Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat? Would you like to use the executive hot spring?"

"_Executive hot spring?! _Would I?!" Pit exclaimed.

"_Focus, Pit_." Palutena chided. "Oh, right. Attention, Cronus! Prepare to atone for your crimes! For I am Pit, messenger of the goddess of light! And the message for today is justice!" Pit then drew his Palutena Blade.

"Really now. Must this all end in violence?" Cronus asked.

"Uh yeah." Pit said. "First there's the air battle, then the land battle, and finally the boss battle. There's a rythmn to these things. You can't throw off the rythmn."

"_Careful, Pit_." Palutena said. "_There's something strange about this Reaper_."

"You're telling me." Pit said.

"_No. I mean, I'm sensing a strange power coming from him_."

"You would do well to listen to your goddess, young one." Cronus said. "For appearances can be decieveing." A black flame then enveloped the Reaper as it began to grow to gigantic height. The flame dissapated, revealing the Reaper's true form. Cronus's eyes were glowing green. he wore a necklace composed of skulls and green fireballs. His cloak was purple and tattered, its trail ending in shadowy flames. His skeletal feet were clearly visible, remembling the claws of a tyrannousaurus rex. His scythe was bigger, sharper, and more menacing. "No way!" Pit exclaimed.

"_It's gigantic!_" Palutena said. "What _is_ that thing?!" Pit asked.

"_That Great Reaper must be the one who's hidden Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit_." Palutena said. "Oh, please." Cronus began. "Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, call me Cronus. The Great Reaper, and the last face you'll ever see!" he shouted as he jumped in the air to crush Pit underfoot. Pit used his sky jump power to avoid it, only for the reaper to backhand him, sending the angel flying back into a wall. Cronus then fired red beams from his eyes. Pit summoned his Guardian Orbitars as raised a defensive shield directed at Cronus's feet. Cronus relexively grabbed his foot, causing him to stumble backwards. "_That Great Reaper has quite the evil eye_." Palutena said.

"How can you make puns at a time like _this?!_" Pit frantically asked. "_I guess I just don't_ see _the problem with a little levity_." she remarked.

"Aw! You're killing me here!" Pit said as he used his Angelic Missile to launch himself at Cronus. Cronus retaliated by throwing a dark fireball at Pit, knocking him to the ground. "Actually, that's _my_ job!" Cronus said as he planted his scythe on the ground, sending out three crescent waves of dark energy at Pit. Pit moved to the side to dodge them then used this Jump glide power, lauching himself at Cronus and slashing him in the eye with his Palutena Blade. Cronus screamed in pain and knocked Pit away. The reaper then summoned three reapettes to attack Pit. It served as a distraction. Pit shot the Reapettes as Cronus recovered, his face now sporting a deep scar in his left eye. "You little brat!" he shouted.

Pit said nothing but pulled out his Leo Cannon and fired a charged shot at Cronus's head. The explosion caused a noticible crack to appear on Cronus skull. "_Now, finish it!_" Palutena said. "But how?!"

"The light coming from it's head. Strike there!" Pit immediately used his Rocket Jump power and launched himself at Cronus again. This time bringing his Palutena Blade down and impaling the reaper on the head. Cronus screamed and flailed about in pain before he finally fell to the ground. "All done!" Pit shouted. "_Nice work, Pit_." Palutena said. The Great Reaper's body began to melt into a black, shadowy puddle. "You know what, Lady Palutena?"

"_What's that, Pit?_" Palutena asked.

"Even though I almost died, I've really enjoyed our time together."

"_Aww, you poor guy. You really need to make some friends!_" she said. "_Now let's go find Pandora!_" And with that, she extracted Pit out of the Reaper Fortress.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at the Underworld Castle**_

"So Cronus has fallen." Medusa said as she listened to the report from Pandora. "Seems that way." the goddess of calamity responded in her usual nonchalant tone.

"I'd thought you'd be more worried." Medusa said. "With Cronus gone, your labyrinth is exposed. Pit and Palutena will surely be on their way."

"Let them come." Pandora responded with a sinister smile. "I could use the company. That and I have a special surprise in store for them. One that I think will be worth the risk."

* * *

**What malevolent scheme does the goddess of calamity have in store for our hero, and will Pit be ready? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**

**Next Chapter Preview: Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit. Pit's next mission takes him into the bizzare realm of Pandora, Goddess of Calamity. But more than just illusions and trap doors await our hero. Can Pit navigate this topsy-turvy realm and defeat Pandora? Find out on the next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising!**

**OOC: To those confused with the name Cronus. I thought it'd be more creative to give the Great Reaper a name and a voice in this story. Tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 5: Pandora's Labryinth of Deceit

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! In an attempt to locate Pandora, the goddess of calamity, Pit ventured to the terrifying home of the Reapers to locate and destroy the force obscuring Pandora's location. Navigating the ominous death castle, Pit confronted Cronus, the fearsome leader of the Reapers. The battle was ardous, but Pit eventually felled the powerful reaper. Now Pit must venture into Pandora's Labryinth of Deceit and defeat the Goddess of Calamity. Will he succeed?! Find out, now!. **

"_Your destination is Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit_." Palutena said as Pit ran out the door and into the clear blue sky. "_The Reapers certainly hid it well_."

"What are you talking about?" Pit asked. "I don't see anything." Pit really didn't know what he was looking for. He was expecting a building or something out of the ordinary. Fortunately Pit didn't have to wait long as suddenly a dimensional rift began to form in the sky. "Whoa!" Pit shouted as he stared into the strange tear in space. "_And here we have a space pocket_." Palutena said. "_In you go!_"

"O-OK!" came Pit's hesitant reply as he flew into the strange, dimensional void. Once inside... he really didn't know what to make of it. The inside was swriling green and would occasionally change color and shape. Underworld monsters and Monolinths seemed to fly in random patterns. "This is getting weird..." Pit said. "_You'd have to be pretty out there to base your operations in a place like this_." Palutena said.

"Well, Pandora has always been pretty out there." Pit said. "_It's true. The goddess of calamity even_ looks _pretty out there_." Palutena said as she showed Pti an image of Pandora. "_I guess it's no surprise that the path to her would be as twisted as she is_."

"Twisted?" Pit asked. "I say _unhinged_ is more like it." Pit continued flying through the strange void until he came across a tunnel of some sort. "What's that?" he asked.

"_Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit!_" Palutena replied. Pit flew into the tunnel and found himself in an even stranger place. The labyrinth seemed littered with strange, geometrical shapes and square shaped holes everywhere. "Whoa!" Pit said. "_This is not what I expected_." Palutena remarked. This place seemed to cause the Underworld monsters to act even stranger. Sometimes they would combine into one different monster or fly in random patterns. Pit wasn't deterred by this and opened fire on the monsters with his Orbitars. "_You have to watch out for those red posts_." Palutena said. Seeing the red posts up ahead, Pit dodged them with some skilled flying. But his celebration didn't last as he flew straight into a wall. "This is crazy!" Pit said as he recovered.

"_Tricky, tricky_." Palutena replied. "_A false path... Pandora is trying to psyche you out_."

"How does Pandora come up with this stuff?" Pit asked as he flew to the right. "_Messing with people is what she does best_." Dodging more Underworld monsters and red posts, Pit unfortunately came across another false path. "Not again." he whined. "_Uh-huh. Another psych out_." Palutena said. Pit flew to the left and eventually came to a triangular tunnel. "_Going down!_" Palutena said. "OK!" Pit flew through the tunnel, going through one of the three doors that would occasionally open. "_The path branches up ahead_." Palutena said. "_Tell you what-I'll let_ you _decide which way to go this time_."

"Does that mean you don't know the way?" Pit asked, unsure of where to go. On instinct, he veered to the right. However, this proved to be the wrong choice as he flew into a dead end. "This is a dead end!" Pit shouted. "_Looks like you're trapped_." Palutena said. Pit took out the four Syrens and flew out the door. "_Pulling you out of there!_" Palutena said. Pit flew to the left this time and found himself in a larger tunnel with rotating walls. "_Oh my!_" Palutena said.

"We can't let her get to us!" Pit said. "I have to hustle before the Power of Flight runs out!"

"_That would be..._problematic." Palutena began. "_You see, I can't extract you if Pandora's powers are still active_." Pit simply paused in horrified silence before saying, "I'll just pretend you didn't say that!" It was his habit of tuning out bad news. Pit managed to fly out of the tunnel and into a large room. "_It's a Handora ambush!_" Palutena said. "Wha-?! It's Pandora time already?!" Pit asked, mistakenly believing that Palutena said Pandora.

"_No, no, I said _Handora." Palutena began "_You know, the...hand...monster_."

"For a master of deceit, that's pretty weak!" Pit replied.

"_Hey, you made that rhyme!_" Palutena said with a laugh.

"I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!' Pit said as he opened fire on the Handoras. Eventually a hole opened in the floor. "A way out!" Pit shouted. "_Now's your chance!_" Palutena said. "Pif flew into the hole but soon found himself... outside? "Wait a second... I'm outside now?"

"_This could be another trick_..." Palutena said. "But it all seems so real..." Pit said. And indeed it looked, felt, sounded, and smelled like he was outside. A Belunka was lazily flying in the sky and strangely spawning smaller Belunkas. Pit slew the Belunka and continued flying. But that's when everything suddenly went dark. It only lasted for a few seconds before the lights came back on and Pit found himself back in the Labyrinth. "Well, this is confusing." Pit said.

"_It isn't called the Labyrinth of Deceit for nothing, Pit_." Palutena said. "The name is the only straightforward thing about this place!" Pit said as he continued his journey. "_The path branches again_." came Palutena's warning. Learning from his previous mistake, Pit veered to the left. But unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong choice. "Ugh, don't tell me this is a dead end!" Pit complained. "_Let's go back before the power of flight runs out_." Palutena said as she guided him out. Pit flew to the right only to find that it too was a dead end, much to his growing frustration. "Is _this_ a dead end?"

"_Yes...? No...? Uh..._" Palutena replied, growing frustrated and confused.

"We're losing our grip here!" Pit shouted as he flew through the hall, taking out more Underworld monsters.

"_No, I just need to think_." Palutena said.

"Could you think a little faster please?" Pit asked as he flew into another room, one filled with crystal pillars. "_I'm...I'm getting a handle on things now." _Palutena said_. "OK, watch out of the columns around you. They'll reflect your fire!_" Pit pulled out his Palutena Bow and used its special attack, raining down arrows from above that took out all the enemies. Pit made it out of the room and now found himself... in outer space? "_O...K..._" Palutena said.

"Ugh, this is hurting my head." Pit whined.

"_I believe we're close to our target_." Palutena said.

"Then let's do this!" Pit said as he landed on a jump pad. The jump pad hurled him into a boulder, but instead of slamming into it, he found himself in black room with a grid-like design. Pit flew through the tunnel and to his destination. "_We're nearing the landing spot_." Palutena said. "You're sure it's not another illusion, right?" Pit asked as he landed. But then it flipped upsided down., knocking him to the ground and in front of a door. "Ow." Pit said as he got to his feet. He walked into the room and was attacked by two Skuttler Cannoneers and a Bluster. He defeated them all, but before he could proceed, he was stopped by a female voice. "_Quite the thrill seekers, aren't you?_" it asked.

"Pandora, goddess of calamity!" Pit said.

"_We let ourselves in. Hope you don't mind_." Palutena said.

"_Oh, please_." Pandora replied in a jaded tone. "_Make yourselves at home. Doesn't bother me. But you should know the whole 'goddess of calamity' was really the old me. The new me leads a more grounded life. Yoga, macrobiotics, reflexology..._ "

"Don't you need feet for that?" Pit asked. "_How dare you take that tone with me?!_" came the incensed reply. "_Especially since calamity is really more_ your _domain these days!_"

"_Uh._.." Palutena began, but she didn't really know how to respond to that.

"_It's really quite insulting_." Pandora said. With that strange conversation over, Pit wandered into the next room and found himself surrounded by five doors. "There're so many doors..." Pit said. "_And I'm sure there are just as many tricks_." Palutena replied.

"_Uh, no doy_." Pandora said, her tone dripped with sarcasm. Pit went to the first door on his left, only to return back here. "What?!"

"_You're back where you started_." she said. He went to the second door on the left and the same thing happened. "Ugh, not again!" he said. "_You seem to have a thing for this room_." Pandora said. He went to the third door and it hit him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "That's one of the oldest tricks in the book." Palutena said. Pit gave a small growl of frustration. Pit finally got it right when he went through the fourth door and into another set of doors. Pit went straight through the fourth door and into a different room. There he was confronted by a giant insect creature. "Gross! It's a giant bug!" Pit said as he finished it with a shot from his Taurus Arm. "_Technically speaking, it's not a bug, it's an Underworld Girin_."

"Thank's for the science lesson." Pit said with obvious sarcasm. "Anything else I need to know?"

"_You need to dodge it's shock waves_." Palutena said. "No, what I _need_ is a giant bug zapper." Pit made his way into the next hall and noticed its walls were moving. "Where are we?" Pit asked. "_The Hall of Marvelous Moving Walls_." Palutena replied. "_Your delivery stinks_." Pandora said. "_Say it with feeling. This isn't public radio, you know_." Pit went into another hallway with moving walls. "_Be careful with that moving wall_." Palutena replied. "_We've got a delicious Pit panini on the menu today_." Pandora said. Pit made it out of the room and into another room with the wall moving behind him. "Um... So, what's up with the walls in _here_?"

"_Watch them carefully, and try to time your movements_." Palutena said. Following his goddess's advice, Pit made it out of the room and into what appeared to be a driving course of some sort. In the middle of the room, he saw a beetle-like vehicle with three horns on it. This was an Exo Tank, one of the vehicles of the gods. "_Look! An Exo-Tank!_" Palutena said. "Now that is one heavenly ride!" Pit exclamed.

"_Technically, it's a vehicle of the gods._" Palutena corrected him. "_Why don't you take it for a spin?_" Pit got in and drove around the track, mowing down any Underworld monster unlucky enough to cross his path. But as he drove around, he eventually asked, "What's an Exo Tank doing here anyway?"

"_I wanted to get my driver's license_." Pandora began. "_So I whipped up a little parking lot to practice in. But then it hit me. How am I supposed to steer without hands?_"

"How'd you build a parking lot without hands?" Pit aksed. "_Hard work and determination_." Pandora replied. Pit continued to drive around before he finally got out of the Exo-Tank. "Refresh my memory. What am I doing here again?"

"_Pandora has the Mirror of Truth, making her Medusa's most valuable commander_." Palutena said. "Uh, what's the Mirror of Truth?" Pit asked.

"_I'll bet smarty pants here knows the answer_." Pandora said. The mirror of truth makes a copy of whatever stands before it." Palutena said, ignoring Pandora's comment. "So, hypothetically speaking, it could turn one ice-cream sundae into two?" Pit asked. "_And that's why you're one of the great minds of our time_." Pandora said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"_It copies what's in your heart and creates beings identical in nature." _Palutena began. "So what Pandora possesses is a way to create monsters on a catastrophic scale."

"_That's one way of looking at things_." Pandora said. "Then it has the potential to make entire _armies_ for Medusa." Pit said. "We have to destroy it! But wait... Does the mirror copy the reflection's soul too? Or just the body?"

"_That's a good question_." Palutena said. "_Maybe _Pandora_ will tell us_."

"_Do I_ look _like a strategy guide?_" Pandora asked. "_In case you haven't noticed_, _this_ isn't _the Ask Auntie Pandora' hour!" _

"She makes a good point, especially when she yells." Pit said. Using a jump pad, he got out of the parking lot and into a circular room with rotating orange platforms. "Whoa, how do I deal with _this?_" Pit asked. "_First, get a sense for the timing_." Palutena began. "_Then use jumps or dashes to make your way across_."

"Having fun there?" Pandora taunted. "_Pandora certainly has.. _interesting_ ideas about interior design_." Palutena whispered.

"_Rude rude rude_." Pandora said. "_You don't see me breaking into_ your _home and criticizing_ your _style. I mean, marble columns? Really? How gauche!_" Pit hopped along the oranged platforms, but when he got to the last ones, he noticed that they were in the shape of letters. "_Those orange platforms seem to spell something_." Palutena said. "Ooh, ooh! Like a secret message! Can you decode it?" Pit asked.

"_It says...P-A-N...D-O-R-A... It...doesn't seem like there's much to decode here_." Palutena replied. "Well,_ that_ was a letdown."

"_You're just jealous of my knack for interior design_ and _my flair for spelling_." Pandora said. "_Yes. I'll never have powers like yours_." Palutena remarked with obvious sarcasm. Pit made it out of the room and into a small hallway. As he moved toward the exit, the exit seemed to move further away. "Uh...what's this?!" Pit asked. "The exit's moving away!"

"_Maybe you should stop running in place then_." Pandora remarked. Pit ran toward the exit and eventually caught up with it. He stopped a bit to catch his breath before entering the next room. The room seemed normal, until Pit stepped on the green part of the floor and bounced upward, causing him to cry out in surprise "I guess it's bouncy time." Pit said. "_I thought trampolines would add a touch of whimsy to my humble abode_." Pandora said. "_But you can't even use them!_" Palutena pointed out.

"_So what?_" Pandora said. "_I thought it would be fun to watch people bounce around on them. And I was right! Even though this is the first time someone's made it this far_."

"Well," Pit began. "There's another achievement to throw up next to 'Slaying Pandora'!"

"_Don't make _me_ throw up_." Pandora said. Pit made navigated through the trampoline room. Halfway through, he entered a room with three treasure boxes. He moved near the middle one, only for it to sprout legs and kick him. "Check out this treasure box!" Pit shouted. "_Say hello to Mimicutie!_" Pandora said.

"Aw, who's a Mimicutie?" Palutena said.

"_It's been_ dying _for some company_." Pandora said.

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Pit said as he finished off the Mimicutie. He made his way through the trampoline room and ended up in what appeared to be a racetrack of sorts. "_This must be some sort of Exo-Tank racetrack_." Palutena said. "_You might as well try it out since your here_." Pit raced around the track, taking out Underworld Leoxes with the tank's blasters. "_A ramp has appeared next to the starting point. Take it up to move foward_."

"You know I appreciate your help, Lady Palutena," Pit began, "but I'd be totally fine without all this hand-holding too."

"_That's right_." Pandora began. "_Hand-holding is strictly prohibited here. Not to be rude, but I have to project a certain aura of toughness_."

"_We understand. Rules of being a boss_." Palutena said. Pit rode the ramp up to the exit. Getting out of the Exo-Tank, Pit exited the racetrack room and entered another room. Only this time, there was no way forward. "Is this a dead end?" Pit asked.

"_Hmm. I guess you'd better turn back_." Pandora said.

"No, it's a trick. There's an invisible path you can walk on." Palutena interjected. "_Do you have to ruin_ everything?" Pandora compained. "_Honestly now_." Pit followed Palutena's instructions and shot downward with his Palutena Blade, briefly revealing a path. "Ah, so there _is_ a path." Pit said. Pit navigated through the room, shooting down in front of him to see where he was going. Eventually, he made it to the end of the room. "_Pandora is just up ahead_." Palutena said. "_It's time for you to destroy the Mirror of Truth!_"

Pit entered the large room. The room was barren, save for the large mirror on the pedestal. "That must be the Mirror of Truth." Pit said. And coming out from behind the mirror was a large ball of blue flame. On top of her head she wore a halo-like object, giving her the appearnce of having hair tied in a ponytail. She had pink eyes and a set of fangs. "You made it. Yay." Pandora said.

"Pandora!" Pit shouted. "Underling of Medusa floating before me! It's time for you to atone for your crimes! I am Pit! Servant of the goddess of Light! And You! Are! _History!_" While making his rally cry, Pit made all kinds of poses and even swept his hair and sparkled a bit. His rally cries were ment ot strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. Hepracticed a lot to pefect his Rally cries. However, this one was met with silence from both Palutena and Pandora, with the latter even blinking a few times. "_What was_ that _all about?_" Palutena asked.

"Ok, whatever." Pandora said. "Do what you're gonna do."

"What kind of attitude is _that_ to have?" Pit asked. "I can take anything but indifference."

"What's the point of getting worked up?" Pandora asked. "What's the point of _anything_, really?"

"_Quite an existentialist view for a ball of vapor_." Palutena said. Pit immediately opened fire on Pandora with a charged shot from his Virgo Palm. Pandora dodged the shot by sinking into the ground with only the top portion of her head remaining upwards. Like a shark moving through water, Pandora moved toward Pit and shot upwards, knocking him to the ground. It looked like the goddess of calamity wasn't going to make this too easy. Pandora leaped up to crush Pit underneath. Pit rolled out of the way and fired another charged shot that managed to hit its mark. Pandora retaliated by spitting out several fireballs. Pit pulled out his Aquarius Blade and slashed away at the fireballs, then fired another charged shot at Pandora.

Pandora shouted in pain as the blast hit her. "OK, OK. I'll give you what you came for." Pandora said as she teleported to the Mirror of Truth. "Here it is. The Mirror of Truth." the mirror seemed to shine with an ethereal glow, blinding Pit. "Pit! You have destroy that mirror!" Palutena ordered. Pit charged towards the mirror and delivered a flying kick. But just as he neared the mirror, his reflection seemed to flash. Pit destroyed the mirror with a kick and landed on the ground, but when he turned around, he was quite shocked by what he saw. What he saw was bascially... himself in with black hair, black clothing, teal wings, and red eyes. "Hey." the dark colored doppelganger spoke. His voice as identical to Pit's, but with a deeper inflection.

"Let's get right to introductions." Pandora said as she floated near the double. "This here is Dark Pit. He'll be your escort _out of this life." _But that's when something interesting happened. The dark clone backhanded Pandora in response. "Speak for yourself." he said. "You _fool!_" Pandora shouted, turning red. "You were created to serve _me!_ Your opponent's over there!"

"You're a boss, Pandora, but you're not _my_ boss!" Dark Pit said as he took out the Silver Bow and fired at Pandora. Pandora teleported out of the way, then spat three bombs in Dark Pit's general direction. As the two fought, Pit could do nothing but watch the whole spectacle unfold. "Wait, so was creating Dark Pit part of Pandora's plan all along?" Pit asked.

"_Having an angel_ can _come in handy_." Palutena said. "_And he's quite the little scrapper, isn't he? Use his scrappitude to your advantage and take down Pandora together_." Pit immediately took out his Leo Cannon and opened fire on Pandora. The blasts hit, but Pandora simply laughed. "The Mirror of Truth is just that. It reflects the truth. It seems that under that cute veneer of yours, Pit, you're actually quite ferocious."

"You don't know anything about me!" Pit said as he fired several more shots from his Leo Cannon. Dark Pit took out a Doom Cannon and opened fire on Pandora as well. Eventually, the combined cannon fire overwhelmed her and she let out a shrill scream before exploding. "And that's that!" Pit shouted.

"...Took you long enough." Dark Pit said with a scoff.

"You know," Pit began as he walked towards his doppelganger. "We make a pretty good team."

"Maybe." Dark Pit replied. "But there's one problem."

"What's that?" Pit asked. "There's no room for two at the top of the list!" And before Pit could react, Dark Pit delivered a strong kick to his chest, sending him to the ground in pain. "_That's_ for ripping off my look!" he said as he ran to what remained of Pandora. "_I'm_ the original here!" Dark Pit jumped into Pandora's remains, which were promptly absorbed into his wings, giving him the Power of Flight. "_What are you doing?!_" Palutena asked.

"Just making sure Pandora's powers don't go to waste!" Dark Pit said. "See ya, chumps!" And with that he flew off. "He can fly?!" Pit asked.

"_If he has Pandora's powers, he could be allied with Medusa. We need to follow him_." Palutena said as she extracted Pit.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at the Underworld Castle...**_

"So, Pandora was killed by her own creation." Medusa said in her usual stoicism as she heard the report from Tanatos. "I'm afraid so." he replied. "Huh, they grow up so fast. But I thought you'd be a bit more peeved."

"Not really." Medusa replied. "Pandora's gone, but her powers live on in Dark Pit. Thus, he belongs to the Underworld Army. Send the troops to capture him."

"But what if he refuses to come along?" Tanatos asked. "He doesn't seem like the type to play with others."

"I'm sure I can change his mind with the right... _persuasion_." Medusa said as she blasted a nearby Monoeye with a burst of dark energy to get her point across.

* * *

**Just who is this mysterious Dark Pit? And what danger does he hold for our heroes? Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!**

**Next Chapter Recap: Dark Pit. Pit next mission has him face-to-face with his mysterious doppelganger. Will Pit be able to literally conquer himself? Find out on the next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!**


	7. Chapter 6: Dark Pit

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Pit ventured into the bizarre Labyrinth of Deceit in order to defeat Pandora and destroy the Mirror of Truth, a powerful artifact that copies anyone who stands before it. During the battle with Pandora, Pit destroyed the Mirror of Truth. However, in doing so, Pit inadvertently created a doppelganger of himself called Dark Pit. Dark Pit immediately turned on Pandora and stole her powers, granting him an unlimited Power of Flight. Just who is this dark copy, and what danger does he pose? Find out, now!**

"_I've located Dark Pit!_" Palutena shouted as Pit ran out the door. "Where is he?!" Pit asked. He wouldn't have to look hard as the moment he stepped out the door, Dark Pit attacked from below, wielding a black-colored Blade. Dodging his shots, Pit tried to land a hit on him with his own Palutena Blade. The dark copy dodged his attack and the two locked blades for a second before the doppelganger flew away. "Look who finally caught up!" Dark Pit said with a chuckle.

"What is your problem?" Pit aksed as he gave chase, pelting the dark copy with shots from his Palutena Blade. Some would hit, others would miss. Eventually their chase ended up in a tornado. "Are you with the Underworld Army? Is that why you have it out for me?" Pit asked. "Don't be ridiculous!" Dark Pit replied. "I just don't like the idea of someone copying _my_ act!"

"_What?!_ But you're a copy of _me!_" Pit replied. "Come on now, think about it!" Dark Pit said. "If I was a copy, why would I kick my own butt?" Pit didn't say anything but kept firing to keep the heat on Dark Pit. Eventually, their chase led out of the clouds and closer to the surface. That's when he caught the unfortunate sight of the Underworld Army. "Great. Now the Underworld Army's here too." Pit said as he began taking out Underworld monsters, but still kept a look out for Dark Pit.

"_You're a real go-getter, Dark Pit. I like that_." Came the smooth voice of Medusa. "Is that so?" Dark Pit asked.

"_Yes_." Medusa replied "_Though I_ am _curious how you plan to best your dopplegänger. Of course, destroying Pit would be a snap with a little help from me_."

"Don't make me laugh." Dark Pit said. "_Did I say something_ funny?" Meduas asked.

"You've got me confused with the other guy." Dark Pit began. "_This_ Pit is no pawn. I'll take care of him. But only after I've finished _you!_" And the dark doppelganger began to take out some Underworld enemies with Pit in hot pursuit. "_Hmm_..." Medusa began. "_Now this is a little_... bizarre."

"I know, right?" Pit said. "The mouth on that guy! I'd never talk like that."

"_That's not what I meant_." Medusa said. "_Sorry_." Palutena replied. "_He can be a little thick._"

"_The Mirror of Truth created Dark Pit_." Medusa began. "_So his allegiance should be to the Underworld Army_."

"_Hmmm_..." Palutena began. "_I wonder if the mirror cracked before the copy was complete_."

"_So_ that _explains it!_" Medusa said. "So if Dark Pit isn't with the Underworld Army..." Pit began to ask. "Does this mean that I don't have to fight him?"

"_The problem is that Dark Pit is fundamentally wicked and destructive_." Palutena said. "Yeah, tell me about it." Pit replied.

"_He will attack anything_." Palutena said. "He _does_ seem pretty aggro." Pit mused.

"_He was created from you, Pit_." Palutena said. "_He could very well be manifesting your...dark side_. _His very existence is unnatural. He must be eliminated_."

"OK!" Pit replied. "I mean, it's still weird to me, but it makes sense when you explain it." And Pit continued his pursuit of his dark relfection come to life. But as he flew through the rocky canyon region, he couldn't help but think about something. With the Mirror of Truth destroyed, Medusa's forces should have dwindled. But instead, it seemed that her forces grew even larger. Surely Medusa couldn't have extra reserves. Pit eventually asks, "Let me get this straight. The Mirror of Truth was replicating monsters. So, now that it's broken, the Underworld Army can't generate new troops, right?"

"_If that were the case, their numbers would be shrinking. But that's not happening_." Palutena replied as she was thinking the same thing. "Then where else could Medusa be getting her reinforcements from?" Pit asked. "_I really don't know_." Palutena said. "_But there's something very strange about them_."

"Like their faces?" Pit asked.

"_I'm talking more about their interior_." Palutena replied "_Specifically, their souls_."

"So how do we get to the bottom of this?"

"_Well, one thing's for certain_." Palutena began. "_Medusa's the source of all this trouble. But Dark Pit presents the more immediate threat. For now, just keep the heat on him!_" Pit chased Dark Pit through a rocky pass. "_So you two defeated Pandora, hmm?_" Medusa asked. "Of course!" Pit proclaimed.

"_You don't seem too upset that we took out one of your top commanders, Medusa_." Palutena said.

"_Pandora may be gone, but her powers live on in Dark Pit_." she replied.

"_Another_ astute observation from the supreme leader of the Underworld." Came the sarcastic reply from Dark Pit. "_My, aren't you prickly_." Medusa replied, unfazed by his sarcasm. "_Even so, your power of flight seems to outlast Palutena's_."

"_Can't say I'm not envious_." Palutena replied with some slight disappointment. "Don't let her get to you!" Pit said, coming to his goddess' defense. "However," Palutena began. "_Who's to say that his power won't eventually run out?_"

"Yeah!" Pit said. "After all, your flight power only lasts for five minutes!"

"_Pretty horrendous fuel economy, huh?_" Palutena asked, her tone sadder. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean it like that." Pit replied. "_I guess we're both bad at flying_." Pit continued his journey, but seemed to have lost sight of Dark Pit. That is, until he caught sight of him manning a Zurret. "Look over there!" Pit shouted. "_What's he doing with that?!_" Palutena asked. "Using me for target practice!" Pit shouted as he ducked behind a rock to avoid the Zurret's shots. "_Not bad, not bad!_" Medusa laughed, amused by the scene. Pit pulled out his Scorpio Staff and fired a charged shot that hit the Zurret square in the eye, killing it instantly. Dark Pit flew away with Pit once again in pursuit. He then came upon what appeared to be ruins of some sort.

"What is that place?" Pit asked.

"_They look like ruins of some sort_." Palutena answered. "I'd better land soon." Pit said.

"And I'd better get started on deploying my troops." Medusa said. "Come on!" Pit complained. "Is that really necessary?!"

"_Gotta keep you on your toes_." Medusa teased. Pit gave a frustrated growl as he landed in the ruins. "_Somewhere within these ruins is Pittoo_." Palutena said.

"Uh,..gesundheit?" Pit asked for lack of a better reply. "_No, Pittoo_." Palutena replied. "_As in Pit Two. As in Dark Pit. Pretty great nickname I came up with, huh?_"

"But not as great as Ptooey, right? Right?" Pit asked. His question was met with an unamused silence from Palutena. "...Uh, anyway. The plan is to find... Pittoo and take him out."

"_Correct_." Palutena said. "_He might try to escape, but we can't let him get away_."

"Understood!" Pit said as he made his way to what appeared to be a fountain. "_Pittoo_ _could be anywhere, but following Underworld troops might lead you too him_." Palutena said. "_They're none too pleased with Pittoo for absconding with Pandora's powers_." At that moment, a Monoeye appeared. Pit followed the creature to an open area. That's when he noticed a strange metal object. "Hey, what's that hunk of metal?" he asked. "_It's a Cherubot._" Palutena said. "_Why don't you try it out?_" Pit got in the Cherubot and it immediately sprung to life. "This is amazing!"

"The Cherubot is really powerful." Palutena said. " _Even jumping in it packs a punch! It creates a shockwave when it lands_."

"Cherubot, you're my new best friend!" Pit said. "Don't tell Lady Palutena."

"How touching: A boy and his Cherubot." Dark Pit's voice rang from behind. "Ptooey spotted!" Pit said as he attacked with the Cherubot's arm cannon, firing a barrage of shots. Dark Pit dodged them and fired a charged shot from the Cursed Palm he wore. Pit jumped out of the way and charged at Dark Pit to deliver a punch witth the Cherubot's melee arm. The hit connects, sending the dark doppelganger flying. Dark Pit landed on his feet and fired another charged shot, hitting the Cherubot directly in the center. Pit ejected before the machine exploded, then fired a charged shot from his Virgo Palm. The hit connects and sends Dark Pit flying once again. Dark Pit gets to his feet and teleports away. "See ya!" he said.

"He got away!" Pit complained. "_It's OK_." Palutena assured him. "_He couldn't have gone far_. _I think you'll be able to find Pittoo at the end of a trail_. _The area by the fountain seems like a good place to start looking_." Pit went back to the fountain area and found some food there. So, where's all this food always coming from? He asked. "_I thought you might like a little snack_." Palutena answered. "_Plus, it's fun leaving surprises for you_."

"Aw, thanks!" Pit said. "You're always looking out for me. Nothing builds up an appetite like dodging enemy fire!" He ate all the food and eventually a Daphne appeared. He followed the Daphne to a long mountain trail. "_Pittoo is on top of the mountain up ahead_." Palutena said. "How'd he get up there?" Pit asked. "I don't know, but he's targeting you with a sniping staff, Pit." Pit looked up and saw Dark Pit with a weird staff in his hand. The dark copy aimed another charged shot at Pit. Pit narrowly managed to evade it. "Two can play this game!" Pit said as he took out his Scorpio Staff. He then used his vanish power to hide from Dark Pit's line of sight. With careful aim, Pit fired a charged shot that made its mark. A direct bullseye! Pit ran up the mountain to finish the job, but by the time he got there, Pittoo had teleported away again. "Little pest!" he yelled.

"Trying to escape again?!" Pit asked. "I'm sensing that Pittoo's on the altar on the hill." Pit used a jump pad to land back to the ground and made his way to the altar on the hill, where he found Dark Pit killing off some Skuttlers with his Doom Cannon. "Ha! Found you!" Pit said. "Finding me's the easy part!" Dark Pit replied as he opened fire on Pit with a few shots from his Doom Cannon. Pit rolled to the side and retaliated with his Leo Cannon, firing an incinderary blast. The blast hit, and Dark Pit was knocked to the ground. Before he could get up, Pit was rushing at him to deliver a melee attack with his cannon, knocking him to the ground again. Dark Pit tried to do the same, only for Pit to fire another charged shot at point blank range. The blast sent him flying into the altar. "Argh! I'm not through yet!" he said as he teleported away again. "Then why're you running?!" Pit shouted.

"_I'm sensing that Pittoo is hiding in the dark_." Palutena said.

"It's a shame that Pittoo is just so obnoxious." Pit replied. J"ust think of all the stuff you could get done with more than one of yourself."

"_That's a good idea_." Palutena replied. "_Having a bunch of Pits_ could _come in handy_..."

"But you would _never _abuse your power, right?" Pit asked. "_Of_ course_ I would_." Palutena replied. "_That's part of the goddess job description._"

"I should've gone to school for goddessry." Pit said. He made his way back to the fountain area and into a ruined temple. "_I'm guessing this used to be a temple_." Palutena said. "_Humans turn to the gods in times of need_," Medusa began. "And forget them in times of prosperity. They really are a fickle bunch." Pit found a hole and made his way under the temple, where he found Dark Pit waiting for him with an Ogre Club in his hand. "Hey there, Pitstain!" He said as he fired a charged shot from the club. Pit dodged the shot and took out his Capricorn Club, firing a charged shot of his own. "You know I can call you the same thing, right?" he said as he charged at his clone, the two locking clubs together in a struggle to throw each other off.

"Why are you all doom and gloom all the time, Pittoo?" Pit asked as they locked clubs.

"I think a better question is why are _you_ so annoyingly cheerful?" Dark Pit snapped back.

"I'm not annoying." Pit said as he threw Dark Pit off and landed a kick on his chest. "I'm positive!"

"_You gotta stay upbeat, upbeat, upbeat..._" Palutena began to sang.

"Or you'll be dead meat, dead meat, dead meat..." Pit joined in.

"Like I said. _Annoying_." Dark Pit said as he got to his feet to take another swing at Pit. Pit used his Bumblebee power to teleport behind Dark Pit, firing a charged shot at point blank range that sent the clone flying into the wall. "Had enough, yet?" Pit taunted.

"Not even close!" Dark Pit said as he warped away. "Coward!" Pit shouted.

"_You only need to defeat him one more time_." Palutena said. "_He's headed by the area by the fountain. Stay on him. I've set up a grind rail for you to use._" Pit made it back to the fountain area and hopped on the grind rail. "Hey, Lady Palutena?"

"_Yes, Pit?_" she asked.

"Do you think we could start these missions closer to our target?"

"_If it were possible, of course I would do that_." Palutena said. "_However, I can't just open up a door wherever I feel like it_."

"You're right. Sorry about that." Pit replied.

"_Plus, doesn't it feel good to get some fresh air and stretch your wings a bit?_" she asked.

"It'd feel a whole lot better if that fresh air weren't filled with enemies." Pit said. He eventually made it to a group of platforms and found Dark Pit waiting for him. Dark Pit turned around, pulled out his Silver Bow and dropped into a fighting stance. Pit pulled out his Palutena Bow and did the same. "Let's do this!" The two angels shouted in unison.

"Bring it, puppet!" Dark Pit shouted as he fired a charged shot from his bow, Pit dodged it and retaliated in kind. "Who are you calling a puppet?!" he asked as the shot hit Dark Pit square in the chest, causing him to grunt. "Palutena says jump, you jump. She says fight, you fight." Dark Pit said. "It sounds like a very satisfying existence. For _her_, that is."

"I have absolute faith in Lady Palutena!" Pit proclaimed. How dare this fabrication spit such lies. He was no puppet. "The Mirror of Truth doesn't lie." Dark Pit replied. "I'm a reflection of your true self. So maybe your faith in her isn't quite so absolute after all."

"What would you know about faith, anyway, you treacherous blackheart?!" Pit retorted. "Lady Palutena always guides me the right way! That's why I follow her. And the Mirror of Truth you mentioned?! It's nothing more than a pane of lies. Pandora was just using it as bait!"

"Looks like I touched a nerve. Methinks the puppet doth protest too much." Dark Pit replied. "Oh, will you give it a rest already?" Pit asked.

"Okay, fine. Do whatever you want! Or rather, keep doing what she wants. But_ I_, for one, refuse to be a puppet. These wings take _me _wherever_ I_ want to go!" Dark Pit proclaimed.

"Not if I take you down first!" Pit seperated his bow into two seperate blades and charged at Dark Pit, attempting to slash at his midsection. The dark angel avoided this by taking to the skies and firing a stream of arrows upward. Knowing what was coming next, Pit did several backflips onto a smaller platform as a rain of arrows came down. Pit didn't have time to celebrate as Dark Pit dived at him, shrouded in dark energy. Pit jumped over him and fired another shot into Dark Pit's back, knocking him to the ground. Dark Pit got to his feet and tried to slash at his light counterpart, but Pit parried his blows and countered with stronger ones of his own, finishing with a strong kick to his chest. It was Pit's way of returning the favor from earlier. Dark Pit tried to retaliate, but Pit fired another charged shot that hit its mark. Dark Pit fell to his knees, breathing hard. "I went easy on you this time." he said as he flew away.

"Wait!" Pit said. "_No, let him go_." Palutena said. "_He's in for a big fall. And we have to get back to stopping Medusa_." She then extracted him once again.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview. The Seafloor Palace. Pit's next mission has him face to face with Tanatos, the God of Death. With some help from Posideon, the God of the Sea. Pit must infiltrate Tanatos's underwater base. Will it be sink or swim for Pit? Find out in this nautical next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	8. Chapter 7: The Seafloor Palace

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Having tracked down Dark Pit to an abandoned temple, Pit challenged his dark counterpart to an all-out showdown. The battle was long and strenuous, but Pit managed to come out on top, forcing the dark angel to retreat. Now Pit and Palutena must refocus their efforts on defeating the Underworld Army. Find out what happens, now!**

"Duty calls and Pit answers!" Pit said as he jumped out the door. Diving through the clouds, he found himself flying through a desert area. " _We need to refocus our efforts on Medusa_," Palutena began, "_so today's target is Tanatos, god of death_."

"Tanatos?!' Pit asked. "'You mean _the_ Tanatos!? Wait...who's Tanatos again?"

"_Back in the 80's, Tanatos took the form of a snake on Medusa's head_." Palutena replied. "_He's quite the chameleon, you see, and that was his "look" back then_."

"Great fashion sense." Pit said. "But as god of death, he must be a big deal in the Underworld Army."

"_He possesses a key to the Underworld, and he's leading Medusa's invasion of the sea_." Palutena replied. "Wait," Pit began. "So I'm going to be fighting his forces under the sea? How am I supposed to do that?"

"_Just use your_ _gills!_" Palutena replied. "_Tell me, Pit. How are you with brachial respiration?_"

"Oh, no worries!" Pit replied. "I minored in brachial respiration. Wait, your crazy!"

"_Alright. Just hold your breath, then! For about four hours!_" Palutena replied. "I said, you're _crazy!_" Pit shouted. Shooting his way through Underworld forces, Pit could eventually smell the salty air. "Ahhh, I can smell the ocean." Pit said as he neared the ocean. "_We're heading to Tanatos's base, the Seafloor Palace_." Palutena said.

"You were kidding about holding my breath, right?" Pit asked. "_Watch and learn, pupil_." Palutena said. "_Witness the true power of the goddess of light! Ready, set...Dum da da daaah!_" That's when something miraculous happened. Right before Pit's eyes, the ocean began to part, forming a passage through it. "Whoa ho ho ho hoooaaa!" Pit shouted in amazement. "You've outdone yourself, Lady Palutena!"

"_Next stop: the Seafloor Palace!_" Palutena said as Pit flew through the sea, taking in the sight of it all. It was quite magical. "This is just one more bullet point on your already-impressive resume!"Pit said.

"_Heh heh! What can I say? I'm an overachiever_." Palutena replied, albeit sheepishly.

"_Ho, now! Just one second there, lassie!_" An elderly voice rang. "Huh?" Pit looked around in an attempt to find the source of the voice.

"Oh, heh heh...Lord Poseidon!" Palutena said. Pit then looked up to see the giant projection of an elderly, blue skinned, muscular man dressed in regal, white and blue robes and a small golden crown on his head. His beard and hair were long and snow-white. In his right hand, he held a large trident. "_Tsk, tsk, Palutena. Lies don't become a lady_." Poseidon chided.

"_I'm sorry_." came the apology. "_But can't a goddess have a little fun?_"

"So that sea-parting buisness was...?" Pit began to ask though he already knew the answer. "_Twas obviously my doing, silly boy_." Poseidon answered.

"_To pull off an attack on the Seafloor Palace, I went to the sea god himself_." Palutena explained. "It all makes sense now." Pit said.

"_I wouldn't allow anyone else to part my ocean!_" Poseidon said. "_In fact, I've half a mind to put it back together!_"

"No, please don't do that!" Pit pleaded. He was an angel, but he wasn't immortal. He couldn't breathe underwater. "_We're going deeper now_." Palutena said as Pit flew deeper into the ocean, killing any Underworld forces that crossed his path. Eventually, he ended up in a small cave. "_Despite your mischievous ways_," Poseidon began, "_you should know you have my full support_."

"_Much obliged, Lord Poseidon_." Palutena replied. "_It was bad enough when the dark forces were contained in the Underworld_." Poseidon said. "_But extending their reach to the sea and land is completely unacceptable. As the goddess of light, it falls on you to destroy them. I have faith that you will_."

"You have my word." Palutena vowed. "Uh, and mine too!" Pit said as he flew out the cave and into what was apparently the ruins of an abandoned city. "I guess this used to be a city?" Pit asked.

"_Yes, but I sunk it long ago_." Poseidon replied. "_Sunk it? That's a bit...extreme_." Palutena replied. She more than most knew that humans could get out of hand at times, but she never dreamed of doing something like that. "_Humans_ _consist of equal parts hubris, evny, and deceit. Sometimes one has to put them in their place_." Pit and Palutena remained silent, unable to come up with an answer for that. Pit then came across a bed of coral. "This coral is sooo beautiful!"

"_True, but don't forget the old saying that every coral has its thorn._" Palutena said.

"I'm pretty sure that you're thinking of roses." Pit said. Palutena always had a habit of getting sayings like that mixed up.

"_And I'm pretty sure that I'm thinking of coral_." Palutena replied. Pit made his way out of the coral bed and onto the bottom of the ocean. "We've arrived at the ocean floor." Palutena said. "Only a litttle longer until we reached the palace! From there, we'll defeat Tanatos and take his key to the Underworld." Eventually, Pit came acrosss a large structure. "Look." Palutena said. "So that's the Seafloor Palace." Pit said. "I thought it'd be covered in barnacles and kelp, but it's actually very nice."

"_I'll be closing up the sea now_." Poseidon said "_It should wipe out any Underworld stragglers_."

"Just give us one more moment." Palutena asked. "Please! I'm not wearing a life vest!" Pit pleaded as he flew into the palace. Once he got in, he took a moment to take in the sights. From the outside, one would not think a room this large would fit inside. "_The sea is closed now_." Palutena informed him.

"_My work is finished here_." Poseidon said. "_Good luck, you two_."

"Thank's for your help." Pit said.

"_Oh goodie! Guests!_" A voice said with a slight lisp. "_Protecting an impregnable fortress can get awfully lonely!_"

"Is that you Tanatos?" Palutena asked. " _Actually, I go by 'Thanatos' now_." the voice replied. " _he extra H is for_ hamazing!"

"Have we met before?" Pit asked. "_I'm wounded, truly I am_." the voice replied with a fake sob. "_I know it's been a while, but surely you haven't forgotten your old foe?"_

_"_Sorry..." Pit replied. "There are just so many foes and only one of me_."_

_"You know we've crushed Medusa's other commanders, Thanatos." _Palutena warned. "_Just give us the key to the Underworld, and we won't be forced to harm you_."

" Hoo hoo hoo! Impatient as always, I see!" Thanatos replied, either unfazed or ignoring Paltuena's threat. "_But since you've come all this way...wouldn't you like to stay and catch up for a bit? Oh, pretty please?_"

"_So you're not going to give up the key_." Palutena said. "_No need to get all huffy now_." Thanatos replied. "_I'll have you know that I much prefer honey to vinegar. And I prefer witty repartee to any condiment!_"

This is getting nowhere." Pit said, growing frustrated with the conversation. "Our goal here is to track down Medusa, right?"

"_Yes, Thanatos is basically Medusa's right-hand man_." Palutena said. "_That's why he has the only key to the Underworld_."

"_I have no such thing!_" Thanatos remarked. "_None whatsoever! Honestly_. Honestly."

"How this _this_ guy get to be Medusa's second-in-command?" Pit asked. "_Beats me_." Palutena replied. "_Seniority?_"

"_Helloooo? It's rude to exclude!_" Thanatos said.

"Okay, if Thanatos won't give up the key, we'll have to take it from him." Pit said. "_The longer we wait, the more we have to lose_." Palutena said. "_We need to strike soon. We only have a little way to go, so buckle down_."

"i'm buckled and ready!" Pit proclaimed. "_Yoo hoo! Can you hear me?_" Thanatos asked. "_I'd like to be a part of this conversation please!_"

"Shut it already!" Pit said. "_Me? But you've been talking this whole fanfic!_" Thanatos protested. Pit walked up the stairs and into the next room, where he was ambushed by two Wave Anglers, Sherums, and a Armin. Pit defeated them all and walked into the next hall, where three grind rails appeared. "_The grind rails run parallel to each other, so you can switch between them_." Palutena said. "_Stay focused on what's coming up!_" Pit hopped on the grind rails and made his way down, dodging electric orbs as he did. "_It seems like there's an electric current running through this palace_." Palutena noted.

"_Oh, my. An excess of frizowatts must have overloaded the dooziestat_." Thanatos said.

"Do you have any idea what that means?" Pit asked. "_None whatsoever. Hoo hoo hoo!_" Thanatos replied. Pit continued along the grind rail until he fell into a hole into another room filled with shallow water. The room also contained a Shelbo and some Octos. He eliminated them all and proceeded onwards to a small elevator that took him back where he started. "Weren't we here already?" Pit asked. "Yes, but there's good news." Palutena replied. "_A new path has appeared. Follow it to move foward._" Pit followed the path into another room, only to slip and fall on his butt. That's when a closer look revealed the floor to be solid ice. He tried to stand again, albeit with great difficulty. "Whoa! It's slippery!" Pit said.

"_Hoo hoo! Isn't skating just delightful?_" Thanatos said.

"_I wish_ my _domain had a skating rink_." Palutena said.

"Yeah, it's really...great." Pit replied. Unfortunately, the conversation distraced him from a nearby Snowman's ice breath. Pit found himself frozen by it. He managed to break out of the ice and pulled out his Wolf Claws to finish the beast. "_So, the monsters here are aquatic and ice-based._" Pit thought to himself. "_Better stick to heat based weapons from here on out_." He made his way to a nearby elevator. "An elevator! Well, that's convenient." Pit said.

"_Going up_." Palutena replied. "_Now approaching... the second floor_."

"This play-by-play really isn't necessary." Pit said.

"_Now approaching...the third floor_." Thanatos said a short while later. His comment was met with silence from both Pit and Palutena. "_Are you two ignoring me?_" he asked. Pit said nothing, but continued onwards into a room inhabited by two Snowmen and a Frozum. Using his Wolf Claws, Pit defeated them all and moved into the next room. That's where he was attacked by a Mimicutie! Taking great pains to avoid its kicks, Pit beat the chest monster. "_The monster situation is quite clamant_." Palutena said.

"Is that... a good thing?" Pit asked.

"_You know, it's importunate_." Palutena said. "_Or unpropitious_."

"Are you still speaking english right now?"

"I'm sorry, Pit." Palutena said. "I didn't mean to confuse you. Let me make this easier for you. Big Monsters Kill Pit! Grrr!"

"Ahhh, that makes _perfect _sense! Thank you!" Pit said. He then caught sight of a treasure box and made his way towards it only to cry out in surprise as the floor opened up from under him and he fell back into the main room. "_Just your run-of-the-mill trap door_." Palutena said. "_Shake it off and keep moving_." Pit navigated a narrow walkway while dodging the electric orbs that traversed it. Eventually, he reached a room filled with Ziks and a Zak. Pit killed the Zik, severing its telepathic communication with its brethren. A Vakloom then appeared. Pit tried to shoot it, but his shots got absorbed by its vacumn. It then poked its head out of its shell to fire a large laser at Pit. Pit dodged the laser and threw a smart bomb in its shell, killing it instantly. He then saw a large panel on the floor and got on. The panel began to rise and take him to what appeared to be an obstacle course. "What's this?" Pit asked.

"_Looks like a moving platform. Stay on it_." Palutena advised.

"_Let me jazz things up for you a smidge_." Thanatos said. "_We do have to keep things interesting! Hoo hoo hoo!_" Pit moved to dodge the oncoming walls and the icy wind. "_Keep on trooping, little trooper!_" Thanatos encouraged. "_I'm curious about something, Thanatos_." Palutena said.

"_Yes?_" he asked. "_You are the god of death, are you not?_" she began to ask. "_And if the Underworld is the land of the dead, why don't you outrank Medusa?_"

"_I'm not really interested in climbing the corporate ladder_." Thanatos replied. "_You wouldn't believe the amount of overtime you have to put in. Plus, that sort of strict hierarchy isn't the Underworld style_."

"_You're avoiding my question_." Palutena said. She could tell that there was more to this than what he was saying. Thanatos wasn't really a good liar. "_What was that? You seem to be cutting out!_" Thanatos replied. "_La la laaaaa la! I can't heeear you!_"

"It's hard to get a good read on him." Pit said. "I can't tell if he's weird or just dim."

"_A-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa_." Thanatos replied. Pit made it through the obstacle course and found himself transported back over the main room. He used the nearby elevator and was sent to a different room, one with marble columns lining it. "_Thanatos should be in the next room over_." Palutena said.

"Oh, goody!" Pit replied, mimicking Thanatos's tone. "Then do let us get to the fist-cuffing!" An assortment of Underworld enemies stood in his way. Pit dispatched them all and made his way to the next room. The room was large with glass windows surrounding it. At the other end of the room was a large throne. Down floated Thanatos. The god of death had an overall clownish appearance. He had a green, cracking skin tone and fish-like characteristics. His face consisted of pink eyes with crosses in them, a stubby nose, and a large smiling mouth with blue lips and a small fang protruding from the right side of his mouth. He had pointed ears and a skull at the tip of his head that seemingly moved with a mind of its own. A red jewel was embedded in his belly and he wore a skull tattoo on his left shoulder. He wore silver shoulder armor that was covered with branch-like structures with jewelry hanging from them and bolts of energy swirling around them. He wore a large red scarf and trousers decorated with yellow and red stripes. His hands were red and he wore bracelets on his wrists. He also wore sandals decorated with skulls.

"Oooah! I must have dozed off there. Hooah. Waiting around is such exhausting work!" Thanatos said.

"Heroes always arrive late on the scene!" Pit replied. "_Careful, Pit. Thanatos is a skilled chameleon_." Palutena replied. "_Don't be surprised if he changes into a spider or scorpion or cockroach or tick...or a moth or lizard or leech or tapeworm or centipede or bat or snake or...cat_."

"But a cat...would be kind of cute, right?" Pit asked.

"I'm _tempted_ to reach for my book of snappy combacks," Thanatos began as he hovered off his throne. "but...maybe I should just show you? And a one, and a two... and a one, two, _three!_" Then in a puff of smoke, Thanatos changed into... a large, green foot? "A foot?" Pit asked incredulously.

"_Really?_" Palutena asked. "_How much harm could-?_"

"Ever heard of athlete's foot?" Thanatos asked, interrupting her. He then leaped up in the air in an attempt to land on top of Pit. Pit leaped out of the way to avoid the crushing stomp. "I call that one, Putting my _foot_ down! Hoo hoo hoo!" he said. He saw Pit trying to get to his feet. "Uh oh. Guess I better punt!" he shouted as he kicked Pit across the room, hitting the glass with a loud crack. Pit got to his feet and tossed a Boom Spear at Thanatos. The explosion sent the god of death reeling in pain. "You can't attack me with puns!" Pit said.

"Jokes, puns, and feet. Oh my!" Thanatos replied. "_I'm_ running this fanfic! And it's just the tip of the spear. And speaking of spears..." Another cloud of pink smoke enveloped Thanatos as he morphed into a large sword that resembled the blade Magnus wielded. The blade was surrounded by an array of spears. "Slicety-Sliiiice! Dicety-Diiiice! Stabbity-stab-stab-stab-stab!" he sang as he slashed at Pit. Pit dodged out of the way and pulled out his new Magnus Club. "No need to sound so gleeful!" He said as he locked blades with Thanatos. He managed to throw him off and got a few more good hits in. Thanatos changed forms once again, this time taking the form of a large bat.

"Keee! Keee!" he shrieked.

"That's not even what a bat sounds like!" Pit said as he fired a shot from his Palutena bow only for Thanatos to disperse into a swarm of bats. He then recoalesed and fired bat-shaped energy blasts at Pit. "Woop woop woop woop woop!" he said.

"And neither is that! This is getting really annoying really fast!" Pit said. Pit fired several shots at Thanatos from his bow. The god of death changed form once again, this time taking the form of a large doll. "What's this?!" Pit asked. "_It looks like he turned into a doll._" Palutena said. Pit opened fire on the Thanatos doll, but his shots had no effect, until that is he aimed a shot at the red jewel. That caused the doll to split open, releasing a smaller doll. "There's something inside of the doll!" Pit exclaimed.

"_Wait, inside Thanatos...is a _mini_ Thanatos?_" Palutena asked. "_I wonder if they sell these in the gift shop._" Pit repeaed the process of firing at the gem on his chest, causing the doll to shrink and shrink until it released a very tiny Thanatos doll. "Aha! There he is." Pit said. "He walked up to Thanatos and pulled out his Scorpio staff, wielding it like a golf club. "Fore!" Pit said as he gave Thanatos a good whack, sending him across the room. Thanatos changed shape once again. He now resembled a large, floating urn.

"I'm just gonna catch a few Zs here." Thanatos said. "By the way, your attacks are useless." Pit fired on Thanatos with his staff, but his shots bounced off of him. Thanatos spat out several skulls at Pit. Pit got an idea. He whacked the skulls back at Thanatos. Those seemed to have more of an effect. Sometimes, Thanatos would spit out red skulls that exploded on contact. Pit kept it up until Thanatos was forced to revert to his normal form. "You're a good fighter, Pit." Thanatos said. "But now I gotta give you the hook." Thanatos turned his hand into a hook and grabbed Pit to throw him across the room again.

"You're getting a real _kick_ out of this, aren't you." Pit said as he yanked Thanatos close to deliver a kick to his face. It helped that he was naturally stronger than a human. The kick staggered Thanatos, but only briefly. "Oh yes!" Thanatos said. "I'm having a _blast!_" He then summoned spiked bombs and tossed them at Pit. "In fact," he continued, "It's a-_mace_-ing" He then turned his hand into a large mace and slammed it down. "As much as I'd like to continue this battle of the puns," Pit said. "It's time to cut to the chase!" He summoned his Palutena blade and charged at Thanatos, cutting him clear across the chest. He then followed up with a charged shot at point-blank range that destroyed the gem on his chest, sending him to the ground.

"Crushing victory!" Pit shouted.

"Crushing defeat!" Thanatos replied as he began to inflate like a ballloon. He then exploded into a burst of dark flame. ''Fareweeeeell!" he shouted. A pink gem with the Underworld Army insignia then fell on the ground. "_Pick up that gem, Pit_." Palutena said. Pit picked it up and eyed it a bit. "_This is our key to the Underworld_."

"And I just have to hold it?" Pit asked.

"_More or less_." Palutena asked. "_But first, we have to get you geared up for the final battle_." She then extracted Pit out.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: The Space-Pirate Ship. Arrgh matey! On the next swashbuckling chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising! Pit must arm himself with the Three Sacred Treasures to defeat Medusa, but they've been stolen by the scurvy Space Pirates! Now the Underworld sea dogs are out to get the Treasures. Will Pit reclaim the treasures? Or will he be dancing the short plank jig? Find out next time on Kid Icarus Uprisng!**

**OOC: I thought the pirate talk would give the chapter preview the extra oomph. Tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 8: The Space-Pirate Ship

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus Uprising. With some help from Lord Poseidon, Pit traveled the depths of the ocean to confront Thanatos, the God of Death in order to take the key that would allow him to travel to the Underworld. The journey was long and perilous, but Pit eventually infiltrated Thanatos's ocean base and bested the flamboyant god. Now Pit must arm himself for the inevitable showdown with Medusa. **

"Let's go!" Pit shouted as he flew out the door. "With Medusa's commanders out of the way, we're getting to the battle of battles!" But Pit then noitced that he was floating upwards instead of flying to the Underworld. "But this isn't the way to the Underworld. Where are we going?" he asked.

"_I'm a little embarrassed to say..._" Palutena began.

"What is it?" Pit asked.

"_Remember the Three Sacred Treasures you used against Medusa long ago?_" Palutena asked. "Of course." Came the reply. "The Mirror Shield, Arrows of Light, and Wings of Pegasus."

"_Right. I hid them in case of an emergency. You know, so that they wouldn't get stolen_." Palutena said.

"Now that's using your noodle." Pit said. "Man, you are so smart!"

"_The story doesn't end there_." Palutena began. "_See, there's also this space-pirate ship_..."

"Wait, what?" Pit asked, interrupting her.

"_You know, a pirate ship...in space_." Palutena continued. "_Its crew travels the Galactic Sea, robbing the heavens of constellations_."

That's awesome!" Pit said. he then realized how unangelic that sounded and added, "I mean, evil! But what does that have to do with the Three Sacred Treasures?"

"_Well_..." Palutena began, "_I hid the Three Sacred Treasures in the constellations_."

"Uh-oh..." Pit began, realizing the unfortunate implications of that statement. "So the pirates stole the treasures along with the stars?"

"_And the Underworld Army has gotten wind of it_." Palutena replied. "_They're atacking the ship_."

"Oh, great." Pit said sarcastically. "_Which brings us to today's mission_." Palutena began. "_Raid the pirate ship and retrieve the Three Sacred Treasures!_"

"I'm on it!" Pit said as he felt his wings speed up, carrying higher towards the heavens. "Aaaand I'm going really fast!"

"_We're already late, so we have to hurry_." Palutena replied. "_Hold on!_" Pit flew faster and faster still until he was above Skyworld. As he flew above the clouds, his mind was on a pressing matter. "So, the Three Sacred Treasures are pretty old now." Pit said. "Do they still work?"

"_They've grown more brittle with age_," Palutena replied, "_but they'll likely last a few more battles_."

"You're not exactly inspiring confidence here." Pit complained. "_Well, maybe you don't even_ need _them anymore_." Palutena said. "_Don't be such a chicken_."

"I'm no chicken!" Pit proclaimed. "I can take Medusa with one arm tied behind my back!"

"_Listen to that swagger!_" Palutena said. "_You've toughened up nicely, Pit. Remeber when you'd be like 'I'm finished!' all the time?_"

"I...still say that...a lot..." Pit said. He then flew through a cloud tunnel until he reached the majestic Galactic Sea. Its beauty was truly a sight to behold. Numerous constellations littered the night sky and where held together by physical strings of light, forming many shapes and patterns. The ocean was vast and far as the eye could see. "Man, what a sight!" Pit shouted as he looked on in awe. "_You've arrived at the Galactic Sea!_" Palutena said. Pit continued to look on, taking in the sights. If it wasn't for the Power of Flight's five minute timespan and the fact that he was currently on a mission, he'd stay here forever. "_The pirate ship should be around here somewhere_..." Palutena said.

"Where?" Pit asked as he flew toward a constellation. He looked around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That is, until he saw the pirate ship leap out of the sea like a dolphin gasping for air. "Watch out!" Palutena shouted as Pit narrowly avoided the ship. He then watched as it effortlessly cleaved through the string holding the constellation. It then sped off into the distance, revealing wings made of light. The Underworld forces were in hot pursuit. "I guess that was it!" Pit shouted.

"_It's moving pretty fast_." Palutena said. "_Stay on its tail!_" Pit gave chase, killing any Underworld monsters that got in his way. Eventually, he managed to catch sight of the ship firing lasers at the Underworld forces. "I think I see the ship!" he said. "It's under attack by Underworld forces."

"_Good. That means the treasures are still on board_." Palutena said.

"So the plan now is to...defend the ship?" Pit asked, uncertain. "_Focus, Pit_." Palutena replied. "_To get the treasures, you need to take out those space pirates too. Plus, just think how lonely the sky would be without constellations. Don't hold back!_" Pit went to work, dodging laser fire and taking out Underworld monsters. He cried out in surprise when the ship leaped out of the water again. "_I'm looking for an entrance_." Palutena said. "_Hold tight!_" And Pit held on as best as he could, dodging lasers, Shrips, Grayzers, and an Orne. Pit wondered when the madness would end. He wouldn't have to wait long as Palutena had found an entrance. "_Found one!_" she said. "_Get ready to go in!_" Unfortunately, Pit wasn't ready as his wings sped up and he slammed headfirst into the ship. Pit groaned in pain as he got to his feet.

"Not that I'm complaining," Pit began, "but could you be a little gentler next time?"

"_Sorry about that!_" Palutena replied. "_Are you OK?_"

"I'll live. Anywho, let's find the Treasures!" Pit said as he moved to the next room. He heard someone, presumably the pirate captain, speaking in an unintelligible language over the intercom. That's when he saw the space pirates. They were seemingly mechanical beings with scar-like cuts running down their faces. They all had one eye and their arms and legs seemed to be made of energy. Some were yellow, some were green, others were grey. "So those are the space pirates?" Pit asked. "I get the feeling they won't just hand over the Three Sacred Treasures."

"_They might even be tougher than the Underworld forces_." Palutena said. "_Be careful._" A yellow space pirate charged at Pit and landed a hard punch, nearly knocking the wind out of him. Pit took out his Cancer Claws and retaliated with a few hard punches of his own, cracking the pirate's armor. The final hit made a big hole in it, causing the space pirate to fade into particles, leaving the armor behind. "Look at that!" Pit said. "_It seems the space pirates are a race of energy beings_." Palutena said. "_And that exoskeleton is what holds them together_." Pit didn't have time to ponder that further as he narrowly avoided a shot from A grey space pirate. The grey space pirate wielded a sniper rifle attached to its right arm. Ducking behind a nearby wall, Pit took out his Scorpio staff and fired a charged shot at the pirate, making a hole clean through its exoskeleton, killing it instantly.

With the space pirates gone, Pit made his way out the room and into the hallway. A yellow space pirate charged at him, but Pit shot an object near it with his Ball Cannon, causing it to explode and kill the pirate instantly. Pit went into the next room and made his way down the stairs, killing space pirates as he did. He made it out of the room and into a purple colored room. There was a glass container with something swriling in the glass. "This is the generator room." Palutena said.

"What's that shining in the glass?" Pit asked. "_That's where energy from the Galactic Sea is converted into propulsive power_." Palutena replied. "_As long as the ship remains in the Galactic Sea, it can run indefinitely_."

"So...I should destroy the shiny thing?" Pit asked. "_You'd better not_." Palutena warned. "_The explosion might be enormous_."

"How big we talking?" Pit asked.

"_Nuclear bomb big_." Palutena replied.

"Sounds hurty." Pit replied. He walked out of the room and into an elevator. He found himself surrounded by two yellow space pirates. Pit took out an X Bomb and tossed it, killing them both. He then walked into the hall and was met by a Belunka that bursted through the wall. "Wuh! A Belunka!" Pit shouted. "_The Underworld Army really wants in on this fight_." Palutena said. Pit dispatched the Belunka and walked down the hall into a room filled with stars. "_Oh, I see_." Palutena began.

"See what?" Pit asked.

"_This must be a storage vault for the stolen constellations_." Palutena said. "_They've all been compressed for easy transport_."

"And what about the Three Sacred Treasures?" Pit asked. "_Unfortunately, they don't seem to be here_." Palutena said. "_I bet the pirate captain has them. I wonder if he's wearing them._"

"Then it's more than just an emergency!" Pit said.

"_It's a_ fashion _emergency_." Palutena replied. Pit wandered further into the room and caught sight of a yellow space pirate facing off against a Skuttler and a Pirate Commando squaring off against a Snowman. Pit took out the pirates first, then the Underworld monsters. He then used a jump pad to get to the second level of the room. He then used another jump pad to get to the third level and out of the room. He entered the hallway and encountered a Collin and Phil, a suit of armor that flies around and fires bugs. Remembering this enemy from his first adventure, he waited for it to fire off a bug and knocked it back, killing the creature. He then walked through the door and found himself on the side of the ship. "Whoa!" he said. "_This is the side of the ship's hull_." Palutena said.

"The view is like a postcard!" he said. Pit carefully made his way across the translucent bridge, taking out a Shildeen and two Daphnes. He made it back inside the ship and found a large metal door with a switch nearby. "A switch, huh?"

"_That's what it looks like_." Palutena said.

"Probably does something?" he said. "_They usually do_." she replied. Pit struck the switch with a melee attack and opened the door. He then walked through to find another door with two switches nearby. Also, pirates began pouring in from the two doors on the sides. Pit dispatched the pirates and fired shots at the doors, damaging them and preventing reinforcements from arriving. He hit the switches and walked through to another door. Opening that door, he walked into the hallway and went through the door straight ahead to find a hot spring, much to his joy. "Space-pirate hot spring!" he said.

"Looks like someone beat you to it." Palutena said, noting the Commando lounging in it.

"Hope there's room for one more!" Pit said as he jumped in.

"_There's_ always _room for one more!_" Pautena said. The commando heard Pit walked in and opened fire. Pit dodged his shots and fired back, killing him. He then took a moment to relax as the hot spring healed his wounds. He walked out the hot spring, down the hallway and found himself outside the ship again. He made his way across the walkway only for a Belunka to appear and spit out a Clubberskull! Pit kept his distance as two nearby snipers freed the monster. The Clubberskull roared and charged through them, killing them both instantly. The monster then caught sight of Pit and charged toward him, only to fall into the sea. "Ha ha, serves you right!" Pit said. He then walked into a small room. "_I've set up a grind rail for you outside the ship_." Palutena said.

"Thank you very much." Pit said.

"_I'm pretty limited in where I can put grind rails_." Palutena began. "_Luckily the underworld forces cleared out a lot of clutter_." Pit hopped on the grind rail. "Where does this thing go?"

"_To the ship's control room_." Palutena said. "_I think that's where we'll find the Three Sacred Treasures_."

"Good! I want my stuff back!" Pit said as he continued riding the grind rail. Eventually he landed in a room to find two Commandos fighting a Tortolunk. "This place is crawling with Underworld enemies too!" Pit said. "Just keep pushing foward." Palutena encouraged him. Pit took out both the Commandos and the Tortolunk. He then looked out a hole in the ship to find another Belunka. Pit pulled out his Leo Cannon and fired a charged shot into its mouth, killing it insantly. He was then met with a Monoeye, a Grayzer, and a Collin and Phil. Pit dispatched them all and went on to see two snipers squaring off against a freed Clubberskull. "Gotta admit, the Space Pirates are tough." Pit thought to himself. Pit decided to aid them by opening fire with his Leo Cannon. The combined firepower brought down the monster. The pirates then turned on Pit. "So much for gratitude." he said as he killed them as well. He then walked into the elevator.

"_This elevator will take you to the pirate captain_." Palutena said.

"I am _so_ swabbing the deck with that jerk!" Pit proclaimed. The elevator took him to the top of the ship where he was confronted by the pirate captain. The captain was identical to his shipmates, but his exoskeleton was red with gold at the top, giving the impression of wearing a hat. His arms and legs were composed of green energy. He jumped around shouting unintelligible language through a megaphone, possibly to call reinforcements. "I have _no_ idea what he's saying." Pit said.

"_He's like, 'Yar, I'll make ye walk the space plank, scurvy dog!'_" Palutena said. "_That's just a loose translation_." Pit threw his head down. "Oh man, not the space plank!" Suddenly, the ship began to rumble. Instantly, four massive red tentacles shot up from the sea and grabbed the screaming pirate captain. That's when a large octopus-like monster appeared. It was a gruesome sight. The creature's head was mostly colored red and pulsated at times. It also had a large fin with digital membranes on it. The area around its mouth and underbelly was white with more digital membranes running down to its four tentacles. It's eyes were black with yellow dots that moved in a bizzare pattern. It tossed the pirate captan into its mouth, promptly eating him. It then caught sight of Pit and roared with hunger.

_"A space Kraken?!_" Palutena said. "_Well, that came out of nowhere_."

"What's it even doing here?!" Pit asked as he dodged a tentacle.

"_The Galactic Sea is home to all sorts of nasty creatures_." Palutena said.

"So it's not affliated at all with the Underworld Army?" Pit asked.

"_Either way, you'd better do something about those tentacles!_" Palutena replied.

"Understood!" Pit said.

"_Although, when prepared correctly, octopus is actually quite delicious_." Palutena mused. "How can you think about food at a time like this?!" Pit asked as he dodged another tentacle. He pulled out his Electroshock Arm and grabbed hold of the tentacle, elctrocuting it and forcing it into the sea. "_You've got three tentacles to go!_" Palutena said. Pit took out his Ball Cannon and fired a charged shot at another tentacle, knocking it down as well. "Two left!" Pit said. But Pit was caught off guard when a tentacle grabbed him and hoisted him high. Pit pulled out his Palutena blade and cleaved the tentacle in half, dropping him to the ground. "_Only one left!_" Palutena said. The tentacle slammed the ground in an attempt to flatten Pit, but the angel dodged to the side and cleaved it in half as well. "That was the last tentacle!" Pit said.

"_Now go for the head!_" Palutena sad as the Kraken itself rose from the sea. The beast attacked with blasts of light from its eyes. Pit summoned a reflect barrier and sent its shots back at it, disorenting the creature. Pit pulled out his Capricorn Club and fired a charged shot at the Kraken, dealing heavy damage. The Kraken retaliated by firing blasts of water from its mouth, but Pit dodged them with ease. It then reared back and fired a torrent of water from its mouth in a sweeping motion. Pit used his Sky Jump power to avoid it and fired a charged shot from his Palutena bow into the monster's eye. The beast roared in pain and rage as Pit threw a Smart Bomb into its mouth. The explosion knocked the monster back, losing its grip on the ship.

"Calamaried!" Pit proclaimed.

"What a sucker..." Palutena said as the ship began to sink into the sea. Pit ran up and grabbed the box. "Hey, look! Check it out!"

"_The Three Sacred Treasures must be inside_." Palutena said.

"The box has really held up well." Pit said.

"_It_ is _less pixelated then I remember_." Palutena replied as she extracted Pit from the ship. Now it was time to face Medusa.

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview: Medusa's Final Battle. This is it. Now armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, Pit must venture into the foul castle of Medusa and face the Underworld Queen. Will Pit finally put an end to Medusa's evil? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	10. Chapter 9: Medusa's Final Battle

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_! In prepration for the final battle with Medusa, Pit had to again arm himself with the Three Sacred Treasures. But first he had to retrieve them from the Space Pirates, a crew of thieves who traverse the Galactic Sea stealing constellations. Fighting his way past Space Pirates, Underworld forces, and a ravenous Space Kraken, Pit successfully retrieved the Three Sacred Treasures. Now armed with the mighty weapons, Pit must finally confront the Goddess of Darkness herself. Will Pit emerge victorious? Find out, now!**

Before heading out the door, Pit kicked open the box containing the Three Sacred Treasures. In a flash of light, Pit was now clad in golden armor. On his right wrist he wore the Mirror Shield and in his left hand he held the bow that fired the Arrows of Light. "Equipped!" he shouted as he flew through the door. "_Are you ready for the final battle, Pit?_" Palutena asked.

"It's now or never!" Pit replied as he continued his descent, killing any Underworld troops that appeared.

"_For this final battle, you're equipped with the Three Sacred Treasures_." she said.

"Using the Pegasus Wings and power of flight at the same time seems like overkill." Pit noted.

"_Who knows how reliable the Pegasus Wings are after all this time?_" Palutena asked. "_I've turned them off_."

"Understood!" Pit said. He continued to fly to the Underworld, encountering more monsters as he did. "There sure are a lot of Underworld enemies around here." he said. "_Yes, so even though the Arrows of Light do a lot of damage, don't get cocky_." Palutena advised. Pit chuckled in response. "Since when am I _ever_ cocky?" He eventually came across a large ravine with Underworld monsters flying out of it. "_This ravine leads to the Underworld_." Palutena said. "_I'm taking you in_." Pit descended into the ravine, dodging lines created by Trailtails. "_Look at those Trailtails drawing lines_." Palutena said.

"Or... trails, right?" Pit asked.

"_Maybe_." Palutena replied.

"Probably." Pit said.

"Anyway, I don't advise shooting for a little bit." Palutena said. "The Shootflies here will react to your fire." Pit looked to see Shootflies hanging about. "There's a whole bunch of them!" he said. "Just gotta keep quiet." He slowly made his way down, silently killing any Parashooters and Zurees that got too close to him. "Fingers crossed." He finally managed to fly past the Shootflies. "_I think we're out of Shootfly territory_." Palutena said. "Good! Cause I'm ready to start shooting stuff!" Pit said as he flew down further down.

"_The entrance to the Underworld should be up ahead_." Palutena said.

"I hope the gem from Thanatos works." Pit replied.

"_Watch out for Ornes ahead_." Came Palutena's warning. Pit looked to see a lone Orne flying towards him. Without hesitation, Pit fired a charged shot straight at the monster, killing it instantly. "Did you see _that?_" Pit asked with triumph in his voice. "_They were no match for your arrows_." Palutena said with equal triumph. "The Three Sacred Treasures have still got it!" Pit proclaimed. As he flew further, the Underworld Key began to glow as a large, eye shaped portal opened up ahead. "Thanatos's gem is shining!" Pit said.

"That means we're good to go." Palutena replied. "Get ready!"

"Whoooooa!" Pit shouted as he flew through the portal. Once he did, he found himself in the red, barren wasteland that is the Underworld. "_The Underworld_." Palutena said. "We finally made it!" Pit said. The angel was then greeted with a welcoming committee of Underworld monsters. "That's a whole lot of enemies." Pit said.

"_Well we_ are _on their home field_." Palutena replied.

"Home or away, I fight to win!" Pit said.

"_In your past adventures, the Underworld is where you died the most, right?_" Palutena asked.

"Oh, absolutely." Pit replied. "The difficulty level was just brutal. I'll brace for the worst." He then came across a group of Boogities, two Grayzers, and a Gloomerang. "_The metal backs on Boogities resist everything, even Arrows of Light_." Palutena said. "_So, be careful_." Pit fired on the Boogites, but they would turn their backs and deflect his shots. The Grayzers and the Gloomerang didn't help matters either. Pit felt overwhelmed until suddenly, A flash of light occured and the monsters were destroyed. Pit cried out in surprise before finding Dark Pit flying in the distance. "Pittoo!" he called out.

"_What_ did you just call me?" Dark Pit replied.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Pit asked.

"The same thing _you're_ doing." came the reply. "Pummeling Underworld fools. I'm just way better at it."

"_Maybe you also sensed that Pit could use your help_." Palutena said.

"Don't make me laugh." the dark angel replied dismissively. "Now, enough talky talk. There's fighting to be done!" he then saw a swarm of Underworld eneimies in the distance. "I'm out of here."

"It was nice of you to show up, Pittoo." Pit said. "But I can handle this on my own!"

"_You're not on your own, Pit_." Palutena reminded him. "_You have me_."

"Of course!" Pit said. "What would I do without you?!" Pit reached a wall and began to fly upwards, only for it to strangely become totally dark. That's when he was confronted by the giant projection of Medusa. "So, you've made it this far." she said.

"You better watch your back!" Pit threatened.

"Isn't that just... _precious_." Medusa said, unfazed by the angel's threat. "Guess it's all that hot air that keeps you flying. You _are_ darling. But you'll need more than bluster to defeat me!" The projection then faded and the shroud of darkness lifted, revealing the ghastly sight of the Underworld Castle. "This _isn't_ bluster!" Pit said. "In the name of the goddess of light, I _will_ defeat you!" But before he could fly into the castle, A barrier began to form around it. That's when a strange white machine of some sorts descended in front of the castle. It then unfolded itself and revealed numerous laser turrets as well as a singular pink eye. "What is _that?!_" Pit asked.

"_That's the last line of defense keeping us out of the Underworld Castle, the Underworld Gatekeeper_." Palutena informed him.

"It won't be keeping _me_ out!" Pit said as he opened fire on the monstorous machine. Pit shots seemed to have no effect. The Gatekeeper responded with small blue shots from the four triangle shaped turrets. Pit dodged them all and fired a charged shot at one of its turrets, disabling it. So it seemed the turrets were its vulnerable points. The Gatekeeper fired two grenade like blasts from the gear-like turrets in its wings. Pit dodged them all and fired back, disabling those as well. The colossus then began charging a large beam. Pit evaded that too and fired at the other three triangle turrets. It then retaliated with a ring shot from the turret in the middle. Pit flew through the energy ring and fired at the middle turret. The Gatekeeper then shielded its eye with a protective cover and changed its shape into the vague form of a jet. It then flew away and came back to charge at Pit. Pit narrowly got out of the way.

"Why aren't my attacks doing more damage?!" Pit asked with great frustration as he continued firing on the Gatekeeper to no avail.

"_Well it_ is _a boss_." Palutena said.

"It's so annoying!" Pit said. The Gatekeeper began to continuously fire large orbs at Pit. Pit shot each one of them down until all of a sudden he heard, "Hi-yah!" He then looked to see the most astonishing sight: Dark Pit delivering a kick to the Gatekeeper's head. "Pittoo!" Pit shouted. The colossus fell to the ground and exploded. The barrier around the castle faded. "And _that's_ how you take out a boss!" he said.

"_For future reference, face kicking isn't usually this effective_." Palutena said.

"Get a move on before more defenses show up!" Dark Pit ordered.

"_Pittoo's right. We should go, even if it means taking orders from_ him." Palutena said.

"Thanks, Pittoo!" Pit said.

"_Please_ stop calling me that." Dark Pit groaned as he flew into the distance.

"_Pit, get ready to go in!_" Palutena said as Pit flew into the castle, bursting through the front door. "_We're finally here_." Palutena said. Pit looked around the room and saw a hot spring in the middle. Pit ran in to heal up. He then looked around him and saw statues of Twinbellows, Hewdraw, and Pandora. "Look at these boss statues." he said. "It seems that each statue has a corresponding door." Palutena said.

"Hmm. Well, better go in order then." Pit replied. He then headed to the door on the right and found himself in a fascimile of the first town he visited. The sky was blood red. "This looks like where I had my first battle." Pit said.

"_You've really come a long way since then, haven't you?_" Palutena said. Pit made his way through the replica of the town, taking out any Underworld forces that crossed his path. He made his way into an alley only to find himself trapped with a Clubberskull! "Uh..."

"_Watch out, Pit! It's a Clubberskull!_" Palutena said.

"Yeah, I figured that part out." Pit replied. "Got any other ideas of what I should do next?"

"_You'll have to defeat it to advance_." Palutena said. "_Dodge to avoid gettting hurt, and go in for melee attacks when you can!_"

"Aye aye, Lady Palutena!" Pit then engaged the Clubberskull in battle, tossing a Boom Spear into its eye. The spear exploded, disorenting the creature long enough for Pit to get in some decent melee attacks. The Clubberskull knocked Pit bacwards into a wall. Pit sprung back and fired a charged shot directly into its eye, killing it instantly. He made it to the next part of town where he was confronted by a trio of Igniots. Using his Mirror Shield, he reflected their petrifying beams and turned them to stone. Pit finished them off with a grenade. He climbed up the steps to see an Exo Tank in the distance. He hopped in and made his way up the next steps to the front of the collusem where he saw another Clubberskull. Pit got an idea. He charged straight at the Clubberskull then jumped out of the Exo tank at the last minute, letting the vehicle crash into the monster. He then fired a charged shot at the Exo Tank, causing it to explode and kill the Clubberskull. "All right!" Pit said. He then walked into the colusem to find the strange sight of Twinbellows awating him. Strange in that Pit was sure he'd slain the hound already.

"Twinbellows!" Pit roared. "Here boy! Old Pit's gonna teach you even _more_ new tricks! And if you're good, I'll take you for a walk and give you a bath and a treat. We're gonna rack up some serious Nintendogs trainer points together!"

"_Focus, Pit_." came the slightly annoyed reply from Palutena. Twinbellows pounced on the angel, only for Pit to use his Sky Jump power and leap right over the beast, casuing it to crash into the wall. Pit took the opportunity to fire several shots at it while it was down. Twinbellows got up and reared back to breathe a stream of flame, but Pit countered by tossing a grenade at Twinbellows just as the flame hit. The grenade exploded a few inches from the monster's face. Pit seized the moment and fired a charged shot at Twinbellows, a shot that proved to be the fatal blow. "Good dog!" Pit said as Twinbellows faded into nothing. In a flash of light, Pit found himself returned to the castle entrance. "Oh, I'm back at the castle entrance." Pit noted.

"_Look, a statue has crumbled_." Palutena said. Pit looked to see the statue of Twinbellows was reduced to dust. "So defeating a boss crumbles a statue. These must be keys." Pit said.

"_And the only way to get to Medusa is to beat them all_." Palutena said.

"Well, on to the next boss!" Pit said. He rested in the Hot spring for a few moments before going to the door on his left. He then found himself in the town where he slew Hewdraw. "Oh, this place again." Pit said. "_This looks like where you fought the Hewdraw_." Palutena said. "_I have a hunch that Medusa is behind these replicas_."

"So this whole town is some kind of illusion?" Pit asked.

"_It's as real as I am_." Medusa chimed in. "_I built it myself using your and the Hewdraw's memories_."

"_That's because you don't know what the original town looked like_." Palutena noted.

"No matter." Medusa replied. "_You're in_ my _domain now, and you'll play by_ my _rules!_"

"Yeah? Well, some rules are meant to be broken!" Pit said as he made his way through the town. Using jump pads to make it across the rooftops, he saw what appeared to be a gyro top of some sorts. It was an Aether Ring, another vehicle of the gods. "There's an Aether Ring." Palutena said. "Why don't you try it out?" Pit got in the Aether Ring and moved about to get a feel for it. It was acutally pretty easy to drive. "This Aether Ring is pretty convenient." Pit said.

"_Yes, like the Exo-Tank, it's a vehicle of the gods_." Palutena replied. "_The handling is a little soft but it has a force field to protect you from enemies_."

"Nice design!" Pit said as he began blasting Underworld monsters with the Aether Ring's gun. With the enemies destroyed, Pit made his way into the well. The Aether Ring slowed his descent down. "_You can use the Aether Ring to traverse gaps in your path_." Palutena said. Pit used the Aether Ring to traverse the gaps in his path, avoiding the Monolinth. He then used a jump pad to get back to the surface. "_The Hewdraw is behind that door_." Palutena said. Pit went through the door to find the Hewdraw resting in the lake. "Hewdraw!" Pit said. "Your chances of winning are lower than your bellybutton! Which is _really_ low!"

"_You're pretty pumped up, huh?_" Palutena asked.

"Of course I am!" Pit shouted. "If we defeat Medusa, we save the world!" He then went on the attack, pelting Hewdraw with arrows of light. Hewdraw retaliated by spitting out fireballs at Pit. Pit blocked them with his Mirror Shield and fired a charged shot at Hewdraw, causing the serpent to dive underwater. Remembering this trick from the last fight, Pit fired at the orange orbs of light, causing it to drop into the water and force Hewdraw to the surface. Pit took the opportunity to deal melee attacks with his bow. Hewdraw slithered into the water before rising again. Pit fired another charged shot directly into the monster's heart, killing it instantly.

"Redefeated!" Pit said as a flash of light sent him back to the castle entrance. "OK, next!"

"_Just one more to go before Medusa!_" Palutena said. Pit went directly through the door behind the statue of Pandora and found himself in the Labyrinth of Deceit. "Now this is one place I wish I could forget." Pit said.

"_The Labyrinth of Deceit_." Palutena said.

"Which means a second helping of crazy. Ugh." Pit looked around the room to find himself surrounded by spiked walls. it seemed like there was no way out until he spotted a Souflee running through the spiked wall in front of him. Thinking that if it could do it then so could he, Pit ran through the wall after it, coming out completely unharmed. "It'll take more than some fake spikes to stop me!" he proclaimed. Though he received no response, he knew that Medusa was watching.

But he didn't have much time to celebrate as a Sinstew grabbed him and dragged him into the pocket dimension in its pot. Pit struggled a bit, but managed to fight is way out. He immediately slashed at the pot, killing the Sinstew. Pit then moved to the left of the room and saw a small light on the ground. he touched the light and was seemingly teleported to another part of the room. "Whoa-oa!' he yelled before looking around to find the room inverted. "Uh...what just happened?"

"_I think you just used a warp of some sort_." Palutena replied. Pit walked a little further before finding another warp point. He then found himself back where he was, but this time on the other side of the room. He walked through the door and found himself surrounded by a Mik, a Skuttler Cannoneer, and a Monoeye that kept passing through the celing and the floor. He disptached them all and moved further down the room to find another warp point. He once again found himself on the celing surrounded by enemies. The flying enemies such as the Monoeye and Syren were flying inverted. "I'm all kinds of turned around." he said.

"_You seem to be passing between the floor and celing_." Palutena said. "_How very strange_."

"You're telling me!" Pit said as he took out the Underworld monsters. He walked down the walkway and found himself facing another spiked wall. He hesitated a bit as he had no idea if thesi was another fake. That's when he got an idea. He fired a shot at the wall and it went right through it. Pit went through it and found another warp point. "Hey, a secret area." he said.

"You're one step closer to getting out of this place." Palutena replied. Pit went through the warp point and foudn himself facing a switch and two Zurees. He defeated the Zurees and hit the switch with his bow, causing another warp point to appear on the celing. He went back through the warp point and was attacked by an Orne. Narrowly dodging the creature, he fired a charged shot at it before heading through the warp point and teleporting to another part of the labyrinth. He then went through the door and found a Cherubot awaiting him.

He hopped in the Cherubot and went through another door and was attacked by waves of Shrips, Grayzers, and Nettlers. He dealt with them all only to find himself facing a Gloomerang and a Snowman. Dodging the Gloomerang's boomerang mask, he fired a few shots at it before dealing a hard melee punch ot the Snowman, shattering its icy body. With the monsters destroyed, the barrier surrounding the door dissapated. He went through the door and found Pandora awaiting him. "Pandora!" Pit yelled. "Ready for round two?!" But the goddess of calamity gave no answer in response. "_Seems Medusa couldn't make her talk_." Palutena said.

"What do you mean?" Pit asked.

"_I mean that's not Pandora_." Palutena replied.

"But it looks just like her!" Pit said.

"_That's just a soul dressed up to resemble Pandora_." Palutena said.

"_How clever of you, oh goddess of light_." Medusa chimed in.

"_I can't believe you'd stoop to recycling souls_." Palutena replied. "_Is nothing sacred to you?_"

"Well, you're in for quite a treat, Medusa." Pit said. "Now watch in amazement as I slay Pandora for the second time!" Pandora opened her mouth to spit out bombs, but Pit responded by throwing a Boom Spear in her mouth, causing it to explode and greviously wound her. Pit then attacked with melee strikes while she was disoriented, only for her to recover and slam the ground, sending him back. She then spat out freballs in his direction. Pit blocked them with his Mirror Shield and leaped upwards to slash down, killing Pandora. "Slaying complete!" he said as Pandora faded into nothing. As usual, a flash of light sent him back to the castle entrance. "_Nicely done, Pit!_" Palutena said. "_You've destroyed all three statues_."

"Then it's time to destroy Medusa!" Pit replied.

"_The path to Medusa is back the way you first came in_." Palutena said.

"How is that even possible?!" Pit asked.

"_Remember, Pit. This is Medusa's domain_." Palutena began. "_She's in control here, and I'm sure she's got more surprises for you in store. So be careful as you make your way to Medusa_."

"I'm on it!" Pit shouted. He went through the door behind him and was met by a Collin and Phil and two Skuttler Cannoneers. Pit took out the two cannoneers before reflecting the bugs back at the Collin. He then found himself against a Spcknose, an Igniot, and a small group of Shernums. Taking out a spiked ball to defend himself, he carged at the Igniot and slashed at it with his bow before firing a charged shot at the Specknose. He then dealt with the Shernums. With them gone, he now faced a Suit of Skuttler, Skuttlers wearing protective armor, and a swarm of Shootflies. Taking care not to alert the Shootflies, he dashed behind the Suit of Skuttler and gave it a few good melee attacks. With all the underworld monsters defeated, he made his way through the newly unlocked door and found himself in a cavern.

"_I find it very ironic that you would call yourself the 'goddess of light'_." Medusa said. "_After all, it was_ you _who turned me into a monster_. _It was_ you _who hunted me down_.

"_You shouldn't blame me for that_." Palutena replied. "_I only reflected in your appearance the ugliness I saw in your heart_."

"_And what about_ your _heart?_" Medusa asked, barely concealing the bile in her voice. "_I can only_ imagine _what resides there."_

_"Why just imagine it?"_ came Palutena's rebuttal question._ "Don't you have the power to make it a reality?"_

_"There's no point" _Medusa replied. "_We all know it would be some sort of hideous creature_."

"You shut your mouth, Medusa!" Pit finally replied with clear anger in his tone. "Lady Palutena is _**nothing**_ like you! Who turns people to stone and poisons the rivers? Who reduces cities to rubble? And who is leading the Underworld destruction of the land and heavens? _Not_ Lady Palutena! _You're_ the one responsible for all this, Medusa! But what I don't get is how you managed to resurrect yourself in the first place!" The response Pit recieved was silence. It lasted for a good few moments before the Underworld Queen finally replied. "..._I suppose I don't really understand how that happened either_."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Pit shouted.

"_I...I don't remember what happened_." Medusa replied. "_My memories aren't what they were_."

"_You're slipping, Medusa_." Palutena said. "_Your mind isn't all there anymore. And I can sense that your life force is weaker than it used to be. Twinbellows, Hewdraw, Pandora, and Thanatos have all been defeated. But if you withdraw your army and promise to stay in this castle, I will spare you_."

Medusa gave a haughty, derisive laugh in response. "_Don't be ridiculous! Besides...it hardly matters_ how _I returned. What matters is_ why. To _exact revenge on_ you! _Turning your little angel to stone is a nice first step_."

"Threaten all you want." Pit replied. "You don't scare me! I will put an end to you. I'll return to Skyworld _victorious!_" Pit navigated through the cavern, avoiding the streams of flame as he did. Eventually, he made it through the cavern and into a room inhaibited by three Skuttler Cannoneers and a Suit of Skuttler. Pit dispatched them all and entered the next room. There he was ambushed by an Eggplant Wizard. Pit narrowly avoided its Eggplant Bomb and fired a charged shot into its single eye, dizzying it. He then pulled out his Atlas Foot item and summoned a giant foot to crush it. One of the elevators in the room summoned another Suit of Skuttler. Pit took out the Underworld monster only for a Clubberskull to appear. Pit took out a Lightning of Judgement item and used it on the Clubberskull, causing lightning to strike the beast repeatedly. Pit then pelted it with shots from his bow. Eventually the monster fell and Pit walked out of the room. But the next area he entered was mostly a bottomless abyss.

"_I set up a grind rail, but I had to get creative_." Palutena said. "_It's going to be a wild ride, so good luck_."

"Don't worry, I'm ready!" Pit said as he hopped on the orange grind rail. It looked like something one would see at an amusement park. It was full of twists and turns. Pit rode his way through, taking out Underworld monsters as he did. He eventually landed on a plateau. "_I can sense you getting closer, Pit_." Medusa teased.

"There's nowhere left for you to run!" Pit replied.

"_Y'know, I'm very much looking forward to your arrival_." Medusa began. "_I feel like Rapunzel wating for her prince_."

"Sorry to break it to you, but those aren't exactly golden locks on your head." Pit chuckled.

"_And_ you're _not exactly a brave hero_." Medusa remarked. "_Yet somehow, the thought of our confrontation fills me with anticipation. So hurry to me, Pit. I'll strip you of your wings and sever you from the heavens_ _forever!"_

"I don't think so!" Pit proclaimed. He jumped on the next grind rail and continued his voyage, eventually landing on another rocky walkway where he was surrounded by Magmoos and Handoras. He killed them all and jumped on the final grind rail, landing in front of tow Boogities. Pit dispatched them both and entered the next room, but there was nowhere to go. "Where am I supposed to go?" he asked.

"_There's a path somewhere_." Palutena replied. "_Step on the switch and use the lights to guide your way_." Pit followed Palutena's instructions and stepped on the switch next to him, summoning a row of lights. Pit followed the path and made it to the next room where he was surrounded by an Orne, an Igniot, and an Eggplant Wizard. There was also a diamond-shaped object called a Gilded Bomb. Pit fired at it, causing an explosion that obliterated all three monsters. He then made it to the next room. "_There are hidden platforms nearby that you can jump on_." Palutena said. "_First, reveal the platforms. Then dash up to a ledge to jump_."

"Well, that's easy!" Pit said. He stepped on the switch to reveal the platforms and leaped from platform to platform until he landed near a Mimicutie. Pit defeated the Mimicutie and kept going. That's when he was met with the strangest sight: A momster with a tempura for a head. "Huh? What the heck is _that?!_"

"_A Tempura Wizard!_" Palutena replied.

"A Tempura Whatzerd?" Pit asked.

"_If he deep-fries you, keep your distance_." she began. "_One bite, and you'll be finished!_"

"Well, that's a step up from eggplant, I guess." Pit replied. He then paused a minute. "No, not really." Pit dodged the wizard's Tempura Bombs before firing a charged shot at it, killing it instantly. He then dropped down to the ledge below and walked into the next room. "_We're getting close to Medusa_." Palutena said. "_Be careful not to fall_." Pit killed the three Monoeyes in front of him and a path appeared. He followed that path to a platform where there were two Miks and a Grayzer wating for him. He disposed of them and another path appeared. He followed it to another platform where he was atacked by three Shrips. He destroyed them to summon another pathway that led to a staircase. But before he could move further, he had to deal with another Orne and another Eggplant Wizard. "_This appears to be the final guard_." Palutena said.

"The last step before Medusa's defeat!" Pit replied as he fired a charged shot at the Orne, dispatching it. He then slashed away at the Eggplant Wizard, killing it as well. Just then, a large blue, cycloptic monster in a matching blue cloak appeared. "_There's an Erinus nearby_." Palutena said. "_They split into two halves that you can take out one at a time_." Pit charged at the Erinus and slashed at its midsection, bisecting it. Instantly, the top half began to float in midair while the bottom half began running around in purple boxers. "Uh, It looks like the bottom half lost its pants." Pit said in confusion. He then fired a charged shot at the Erinus's singular eye, causing it to careen out of control and crash into the bottom half, sending both off the platform and inot the abyss below.

With that taken care of, Pit made his way to the top of the staircase, an exercise that proved to be tiring as he was out of breath by the time he got to the top. "You'd think Medusa wouldn't have an escalator in this place." he mutterd to himself as he took a few moments to catch his breath. He then walked through the door into what would certainly be the final battle. Once he walked through the door, the air began to fill with Medusa's taunting laughter. That's when he caught sight of the Goddess of Darkness in all her glory. She was every bit as tall as her astral projections, making for a very intimidating stature. "So we finally meet again, Pit." she said.

"S-She's huge!" Pit said as he took a few hesitant steps back.

"_Be careful!_" came Palutena's worried response.

"Listen well, all you demons of the Underworld!" Pit began as he made several poses. "In the name of the goddess Palutena, the defender of all that is good! Those who hide in the darkness wil be made to face the light!"

"_Fly, Pit!_" Palutena said as she activated the Pegasus Wings just in time for Pit to evade Medusa's incoming fist. Medusa then twirled her staff around before using it to create a gust of wind that sent Pit flying back. "_I'm going to try to get you closer!_" Palutena said.

"Thank you kindly!" Pit replied.

"_But...Medusa's using her power to hold you back_." she said, causing Pit to give an annoyed groan in response. "_I know its tough but hang in there!_" Pit tied his best to get close to Medusa, dodging orbs of dark energy, lasers, and petrified Skuttlers. Pit made it to the circular arena and fired off a volley of arrows, but none had hit their mark. "_You're still too far away_." Palutena said.

"She's so big that it's hard to get a feel for which shots will hit her." Pit replied as he flew closer. Medusa blew two dark energy orbs that hovered near Pit before exploding. Pit tried his best to avoid the explosion and attack Medusa, but the Underworld Queen teleported away. "Wow!" Pit said. "Warping that huge body must be a real pain!"

"Who are you calling huge, you insiginificant little thing?" Medusa asked.

"Let's get you closer." Palutena said as Pit flew towards Medusa again only for her to warp away. Medusa's teleporting became more and more frequent as she fired beams from her eyes. Pit avoided them all before he finally closed in on Medusa, pelting her with shots from his bow. By the time he reached her head, Medusa vanished once again. Pit frantically looked around to find Medusa. Watch out!" Palutena shouted as Pit turned around for Medusa to attack with her claws, knocking Pit to the ground.

"Do you like that?" she taunted. "Well you'll love _this!_" She then fired dark energy beams from her eyes at Pit, attempting to turn him to stone. Pit took out his Mirror Shield and blocked the beams. The snakes in Medusa's hair began firing energy beams from their mouths to increase the pressure. Pit struggled valiantly against them, but was eventually forced to move. He narrowly avoided the beams and retaliated with a charged shot that hit her directly between the eyes. Medusa stumbled backwards until she was at the center of the arena. That's when something happened. Chains of light appeared and bound Medusa's legs. "_Now's your chance!_" Palutena said. "_The good news is that I've chained Medusa's legs in place for you. The bad news is that you'll have to get up close and personal with her_."

"You'll pay for that!" Medusa raged as she struggled against her bonds. Pit opened fire on Medusa while she was distracted, causing her to flinch and protect herself. Medusa repsonded by waving her right hand in front of her, revealing a mouth that expelled poison gas. "Ugh! Nasty!" Pit said. "_Is there any part of her_ _that_ isn't_ a weapon?_" Palutena asked. "_I guess it's to be expected_." The gas disorented Pit a bit, allowing Medusa to strike him with her staff like the batter at a baseball game. The hit knocked Pit back, but not before he managed to get off a charged shot that hit her directly in the eye. Medusa hunched over and planted her staff in the ground. She then rose up again with a roar and a hideous visage that would haunt Pit's dreams. Medusa now had green skin and a large red eye. The snakes in her hair were now orange. "Her head!" Pit said, completely repulsed.

"_Now_ this _is the Medusa I remember_." Palutena replied.

"She's hideous!" Pit shouted.

"_I can't believe she's still fighting like this_." Palutena said. "_But this is a battle we cannot lose. We must overcome the darkness of the Underworld with light!_"

"The fight against evil ends here!" Pit proclaimed. Medusa's head then ripped itself off its body and flew after Pit, the snakes in her hair firing energy blasts from their mouth. Pit used skillful flying to avoid them and attacked in kind, returning fire with his bow. Medusa would also attack with orbs of posion gas from her mouth. Pit dodged them as well only for the snakes in her hair to extend and wrap around Pit's waist. Pit retaliated by slicing the head of the snake off. Medusa gave an enraged yell and fired a red beam from her single eye. Pit defended against it with her Mirror Shield before firing back. Medusa became frantic, sending more of her snakes at Pit. The angel simply decapitated each snake as it attacked. Medusa's head then retreated to her body. "_Now, Pit! The eye!_" Palutena said.

"Raaaaaaaawr!" Pit roared as he fired a charged shot into her single eye, a moved that proved to be the mortal blow as a shrill scream ripped from her throat. "You did it!" Medusa staggered back then outstretched her hand as if trying to reach out and grab Pit. She then froze in place before disintergating into dust. "Victory!" Pit said. But his celebration was interrupted by a large rumble as the castle began to collapse. "Man, I hate these load-bearing bosses!" Pit said as Palutena extracted him from the Underworld. The castle then collapsed into ruin.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Palutena's temple. Pit had just finished resting up from the ardous battle with Medusa. The Three Sacred Treasures were back in their case. Upon seeing Palutena, he rushed over to her and gave her a big hug. "We did it!" He said. "We really did it!"

"Congratulations!" Palutena said as she returned the hug. "I know it wasn't always easy."

"Aw, but it was so worth it!" Pit replied. "With the world at peace again, even the sun feels warmer!"

"Aw, you're so cute, Pit!" she said as she and Pit dissolved into laughter. At last, it seemed like it was finally over. Medusa and the Underworld had at last been defeated. The world was at peace once again. Good thing too as the author was getting tired. But the happy moment was rudely interrupted by a voice. "Now wait just a second." The voice said.

"Huh?" Pit asked.

"Did you hear something. "Palutena asked as she and Pit looked around for the source of the voice. "I said wait just a second." the voice repeated, slightly louder. "I've got to be hearing things." Pit said. The two then looked at the screen displaying the credits for the game. That's when the strangest thing happened. A clawed, purple hand gripped the credits, stopping them in place. With a malevlolent laugh, the hand tore the credits away. revealing a demonic, humanoid entity surrounded by a background of flame. The being had predomiantly purple skin with red lines trailing down his arms and legs. He had red eyes and red markings near them. His hair was green with red spots in it. He wore matching purple robes that looked grotesquely organic as well as a large cape made from darkness and fire. The robe was held together by an orange sash. The sum total of him proved to be the most unsettling thing they'd ever seen.

"Hades?!" Palutena said with shock.

"Who's Hades!" Pit asked.

"The _true_ master of the Underworld." Palutena replied.

"Sorry to keep _you_ wating." Hades began. "But now that I'm here, let's get this party started. Welcome to _my_ Underworld, Pitty Pat. You too, pretty Palutena."

"I'm... honored you know who I am." Palutena responded. Hades didn't answer, but took a moment to look at Pit. "So, this little angel took down big, bad Medusa all by himself. What an accomplishment! Goodness, you should put this on your resume!"

"Uh, what's with this guy?" Pit asked Palutena, put off by Hades's demeanor.

"But before you do, you should know that I whipped up that Medusa especially for you." Hades continued.

"Wait, how?!" Palutena asked, stunned by the revalation.

"Add a pinch of memories to a ton of souls. Put them in a blender and hit frappe!" Came the answer.

"Explain yourself!" Pit demanded.

"Her thirst for revenge was so great, it seemed a shame to let it go to waste." Hades said. "Oh, pretty Palutena... you must have done a real number on her."

"I won't deny that." Palutena said.

"But she's old news, and old news bores me." Hades said. "We must look to the future, and that future is _me_, the_ true_ leader of the Underworld! Next to me, little miss Medusa's going to look like a sweet, cuddly bunny."

"No! This can't be happening!" Palutena said.

"I must bid you adieu." Hades said as the screen faded to black. Pit and Palutena looked at each other with flabbergasted expressions, completely stunned by this unforseen turn of events. Medusa was bad enough, but this Hades seemed even more dangerous. "So, what do we do now?!" Pit asked.

"For now, we just wait. That's about all we can do." Palutena said for lack of a better answer. It was Hades's move now. The battle against Medusa was won, but the war against Hades was just beginning.

* * *

**In an unexpected turn of events, a deadly new player has joined the game. Just what dangers does Hades have in store for our heroes, and will they be able to counter his threat. Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!**

**Next Chapter Preview: The heat turns up on the next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising! Hearing rumors about a wish granting artifact named the Wish Seed. Pit ventures to the fiery home of the Phoenix to investigate. But more surprises than just fire awaits our angelic hero. Can Pit stand the heat, or will he drown in the inferno? Find out on the sweltering next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!**

**OOC: Sweet Christ! This chapter was long! 6,761 words! My fingers ache!**


	11. Chapter 10: The Wish Seed

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_! Armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, Pit ventured to the depths of the Underworld to confront Medusa. The voyage was trecherous, the battle strenuous, but Pit managed to finally slay the Goddess of Darkness. However, before they could celebrate, an unforseen compication arose! It turned out that Hades, Lord of the Underworld, was the true mastermind behind Medusa's revival and declares himself to be a greater threat than Medusa. How will Pit and Palutena deal with this unexpected turn of events? Find out, now!**

"I can't believe Hades was behind the entire Underworld Invasion!" Pit said as he flew out the door.

"_And he created Medusa to distract everyone!_" Palutena replied.

"What do you think Hades is really after?" Pit asked as he flew among the clouds.

"_Something big_." Palutena said. "_He hasn't just overstepped his realm-he's kicked down the door. What I_ do _know is that Underworld forces have assembled at a volcano nearby. And that's where today's mission is taking us_." As Pit descended below the clouds and into a fiery, volcanic region, he took a moment to think a bit. Then his face lit up with sudden realization. "Oh, I just put it all together! The Underworld Army is here to steal magma!"

"_No, Pit_." Palutena began with an irritated sigh. "_Hades wants the Wish Seed_." She knew he meant well, but she could get annoyed at how dense he was at times. "Oh." Pit replied sheepishly with a blush across his face. "Of course."

"_From what I heard, it grants any single wish_." Palutena went on. "_As you might imagine, it's quite sought after_."

"I could really use one of those!" Pit said. "My wish would be to fly by myself!"

"_Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that_." Palutena said. "_Anyway-_"

"Don't change the subject!" Pit replied, causing the goddess to giggle in response. "_The Underworld forces seem to be very interested in the Wish Seed_."

"Who knows what Hades would wish for if he got it?! Pit said. "It could be a total disaster!"

"_I couldn't agree more_." Palutena said. "_Let's hurry, Pit. If Hades has entered the game, he's playing to win_."

"Plus if anyone deserves a wish, it's me!" Pit said as he continued flying through the fiery landscape. He eventually came across a large cave. "Get ready to go in that cave." Palutena said as he flew through the cavern, taking out Underworld monsters such as a Fire Wymn, Remoblambings, and Syrens. He made it out of the cave and into a virtual ocean of lava. "This is incredible!" Pit said as he dodged streams of fire that would leap out of the lava.

"_Yes, the volcano's guardian puts on quite a show_." Palutena replied.

"Who's the volcano's guardian?" Pit asked.

"_The immortal bird who lives there, the Phoenix_." Palutena said.

"Hmm... So if the Phoenix is _protecting_ the Wish Seed... does that mean he created the Wish Seed too?" Pit asked.

"_That reminds me_..." Palutena began. "_Phoenix eggs make the most divine omlets. Or so I've heard_."

"What does _that_ have to do with _anything?!_" Pit asked. Palutena's habit of randomly bringing up food was a bit annoying at times. It also made him hungry. Pit shook it off and kept flying, this time through several rock formations. He then flew through a large crevice in the lava, dodging more streams of flame. "How are you holding up there?" Palutena asked.

"I'm... very sweaty." Pit responded.

"_If it weren't for my Power of Cooling, you'd be burned to a crisp by now_." Palutena replied. "_I sometimes forget how flammable humans and angels are. Luckily, there's an alternate tunnel route that might be cooler_."

"Oh, good timing!" Pit said as he rose out of the crevice and found himself faced with a crossroads. "_But it _will_ take us a little out of our way_." Palutena said. "_I'll let_ you _decide which way to go. Veer right to go directly to the volcano or left to go through the tunnel._" Pit veered to the left and into the tunnel. "_Let's head into the tunnel_." Palutena said. "I hope it's cooler in there!" Pit replied as he flew into the tunnel, taking out groups of Shulms, Handoras, and Magmoos. He ended up in a large part of the cave. He looked down to see the lava elevating. "The magma level in here is rising!" Pit said.

"_Hopefully it won't rise too fast_..." Palutena said. Pit saw another opening in the room and flew through it to escape the rising magma. He ended up in another part of the cave adn was about to fly out, only for a flow of lava to block the way. "Augh! There's nowhere to go!" Pit said.

"Stay calm, Pit!" Palutena said.

"Stay calm?!" Pit responded. "_You're_ not the one who's about to get steamed like a dumpling!"

"I said, stay calm!" Palutena repeated with a more commanding tone. Pit frantically looked around and eventually found another way out. He flew through the opening. "Whew. That's a relief." Pit said as he began to fly out of the tunnel. All seemed peaceful enough until Palutena shouted. "_Pit! Behind you!_" Pit turend around to see the magma rising swiftly behind him! "Whooooa-oa no, no, please no!" he screamed. "_Hang on!_" Palutena said as she sped up his wings. Pit flew as fast as those wings would take him, the heat of the lava practically licking at his heels. He managed to make it out of the tunnel just as the lava erupted from it. "WHOOOOOOOOOOA!" Pit screamed. He could feel the heat on his back. "That was _way_ too close for comfort!"

"_No need to get all hot under the collar, though, right?_" Palutena jokingly asked.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" came Pit's slightly annoyed question.

"_Get ready to land soon, Pit!_" she said.

"Boy, I hope my sandals don't melt." Pit replied.

"Don't worry. I'll get you some new ones after this mission." Palutena assured him as he landed, sliding off the ledge. "Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. Whoa!" Pit landed on the ground with a groan before getting to his feet. "Take it easy, will ya?" he asked.

"_The Underworld Army has already reached the Phoenix_." Palutena began. "_But they're facing severe resistance_."

"The Phoenix sounds pretty tough." Pit said. "So, if we want the Wish Seed too..."

"_That's right. You'll have to defeat the Phoenix_." Palutena answered.

"I was afraid you'd say that." Pit said unethusiastically.

"_Don't worry. He's the Phoenix_." Palutena said. "_He'll come back to life_."

"That's not exactly what I'm worried about." Pit replied. "What I mean to say is... I'm not scared. I'm not scared at all!"

"_Saying it twice_ doesn't_ make it more convincing_." Palutena said.

"How about if I say it a_ third_ time?" Pit asked. "I'm not sacared at all!" Noticing that the area conained mostly fire-based Underworld monsters, Pit took out his Aquarius Blade and carefully walked along the trail, taking care to avoid falling in the pools of lava. He managed to make it through the door and was greeted by groups of Porcuspines, Petribombers, Wave Anglers, and a Tortolunk. Detonating the nearby bombs in the area, Pit disposed of them with ease. "_Well, helloooooo there!_" greeted the voice of Hades. "_Glad to see you made it!_"

"Hades!" Pit said.

"_Settle down there, Pitty_." Hades chided. "_Ladies don't like high-strung fellows. So the 'good guys' covet the Wish Seed too_." he chuckled. "_Tell me goddess, what do_ you _wish for? Is it all kittens and rainbows, or is it something more_... interesting?"

"_I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!_" Palutena replied.

"_Thanks so much for asking!_" came Hades enthusiastic reply. "_I just have one humble little wish_." A small flame then appeared in front of Pit. It then enlarged and showed the image of a young girl. She looked like she was barely thriteen. She was crying and kneeling down in front of two coffins. "_You see this poor child? Both of her parents are dead. Awww... There was an _unfortunate_ accident, if you know what I mean_."

"You mean you murdered them!" Pit retorted. It was a heavy accusation, but Pit always assumed the worst when it came to villains like Hades.

"_It was a simple case of distracted chariot driving_." Hades responded. "_I shouldn't have been doing my hair. Anyway, I was hoping to use the Wish Seed to bring back the parents. Can you think of anything more joyous than a family reunion? Then after that, they'd strike it rich-like rolling-in-dough rich! And then we'd slap crowns on all of them and make 'em royalty!_" All while Hades told his story, the images on the fire changed. It showed the girl's parents resurrected as zombies. Then it would show the family practically swimming in gold coins. Finally, it showed them wearing crowns and capes. the montage of pictures made Pit raise a skeptical and confused eyebrow.

"And that's the general gist of my wish!" Hades said as the flame dissapated. "_Pretty noble and not at all evil, right? I can't think of anyone_ more _deserving of the Wish Seed than yours truly_."

"_Let me get this straight_." Palutena began. "_You, the Lord of the Underworld, want to_ revive _the dead. That's somewhat at odds with your 'mission statement', wouldn't you say?_"

"_Don't tell me the goddess of light hasn't heard of alturism before_." Hades said.

"What a load of baloney!" Pit chimed in. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew when someone was clearly lying.

"_My intentions are pure_." Hades assured. "_As Lord of the Underworld, you have my word_."

"_That just makes me more suspicious_." Palutena said.

"_How cold of you_." Hades repllied with mock hurt. "_Your words pierce my heart like an icicle_." With that odd conversation out of the way, Pit walked through the door and was nearly inhaled by a Shelbo. Pit fired a charged shot into its single eye, killing it instantly. He found an Exo-Tank and hopped in. He rod through the area, mowing down any Underworld monsters that got in his way. He made it to a jump pad and used it to enter the next area.

"_Tell me, Pitty Pat, why exactly can't you fly?_" Hades asked.

"Oh, _real_ original. Like I haven't heard that one before." Pit replied. Not to mention, it's_ none of your buisness_."

"So_ sorry. I didn't realize it was such a_ sensitive _subject_." Hades replied.

"_Oh, don't worry about him. He's fine. His wings just don't work right_." Palutena said.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Pit asked.

There was a door on the other side, but in order to get there, Pit had to find a way to cross the pool of lava. On the celing there was a stature with four faces on it. Before Pit could explore further, he was attacked by a group of Remoblambings. The monsters closed into attack, but Pit fired a charged shot at their leader, causing them all to explode in a chain reaction. Another jump pad then appeared. Pit used it to get to the second level of the room. Noticing a structure in the room. He climbed up the steps and hit the small switch on top, causing the statue to sink into the lava. "_Now that the statue has settled into the lava, I don't think it'll budge_." Paltutena said.

"Well I wouldn't either if I was soaking in a nice hot bath." Pit replied. He walked out of the room and was met with a grotesque sight. It was a purple monster that for all intents and purposes, looked like a walking stomach. It had green eyes and was busy devouring nearby Shulms. "_Well, look at that_." Palutena said. "_It's an Underworld Guttler_."

"So what's its deal?" Pit asked.

"_It gobbles up friends and foes alike, getting extremely strong in the process_."

"It eats its friends to get stronger?" Pit asked, clearly disgusted by the thought. "Sheesh. Talk about a monster!"

"_And its strength grows with every bite it takes, so if you see one, defeat it quickly!_" Palutena said. The Guttler noticed Pit and charged straight at him. Pit quickly took out a Smart Bomb and chucked it in the monster's mouth. The Bomb detonated and killed the beast from within. "Bon appetit." Pit said to himself. Pit walked further up and found two doors. Heading to the door on his right, he found himself staring at a hot spring, much to his joy. "_Look, Pit! A hot spring!_" Palutena said.

"Score!" Pit exclaimed. "Who's got two thumbs and loves hot springs? Everyone with two thumbs!" He ran in the hot spring and to a few moments to heal up. Once done, he left the room and went through the other door and found himself on a rocky hillside. He used a jump pad to the second level and ran to a small elevator. "_Oh, Palutena! Pretty Paluteeeena!_" Hades said in a singsong voice. "_Can you hear me?_"

"_Of course I can hear you_." Palutena replied.

"_You never told me your wish_." Hades whined. "_Even after I bared my very soul to you!_"

"_Right, your wish? I don't buy it_." Palutena said. "_In fact, it makes me doubt this entire story. Answer me this: does the Wish Seed even have the power to grant wishes?_"

"You're_ a sharp one_." Hades mockingly replied. "_How'd you guess?_"

"What?! Are you serious?!" Pit asked. "The Wish Seed is a fake? There goes my wish to fly."

"_It's so obvious to me now_." Palutena said. "_I mean the idea of a Wish Seed is pretty far fetched. An item like that could make anyone more powerful than the gods_."

"Dang." Pit said. "I was totally gonna be like. 'I wish for...a kazillion wishes!' Wait-if the Wish Seed doesn't work, why's the Underworld Army going after it?"

"_To make everyone-us included-believe that its real_." Palutena answered.

"_Can't get anything past ol' Professor Palutena, now can't I?_" Hades asked. "_If there's one thing you can predict about humans, it's their greed. It's physically impossible for humans to resist the lure of a wish-granting item_."

"_And since they can get the Wish Seed from the Phoenix to see that it's a fake_," Palutena began. "y_ou need them to_ think_ that someone's made off with it._"

"_At which point, they'll drive themselves to exitinction battling for it_." Hades replied. "_And that's good for my buisness. An ingenious plan, if I do say so myself_."

"But the Phoenix himself could wipe out humanity if the Underworld sets him loose." Pit said.

"You're right. We have no choice but to defeat him." Palutena said. "We've fallen right into Hades's trap."

"_Quite a sticky situation eh, Pitty?_" Hades teased. "_Slay the Phoenix, humans start a war. Spare the Phoenix, it barbeques humanity. I believe TV Tropes coins this as a...Xanatos Gambit?_ _Anyway, flattery will get you nowhere, my dear! Actually, scratch that. It'll get you a hot date with the Phoenix, Ciao_." Pit eventually made his way out of the area and into a cavern. Navigating out of the cavern, Pit made it to a cliff side. "_Even though Hades was behind this plan, the Phoenix won't be happy to see you_." Palutena warned.

"Quelle surprise." Pit flatly responded. It was French for "what a surprise." Pit made his way across the cliffside, jumping across platforms until he made it to a small cave. He was then ambushed by a group of Skuttlers, Shulms, and a Skuttler Mage. Pit defeated the Skuttler Mage first to avoid its weakening spell, then took his time with the other monsters in the room. With them gone, the barrier around the door disappeared. He walked through to another room where he was attacked by a Tempura Wizard. Pit was too late to dodge its Tempura Bomb and was turned into a Tempura with legs. The Tempura Wizard's single eye was replaced with two beady red eyes and a large mouth with fangs. It got out of its bowl and bgan chasing Pit, Pit screamed and ran away from the Wizard as fast as he could. Eventually, the Wizard tired out and its spell wore off. Pit retaliated by slashing at the monster with his Aquarius Blade. Walking through the door on his right. Pit traveled down to find a smaller hot spring. "Yessss! It's hot spring time!" Pit exclaimed.

"_It seems that there are hot springs on the upper and lower levels_." Palutena said.

Nothing brightens the complexion like a mineral spring." Hades said. "And lava." Pit ran to the hot spring and again healed his injuries. Once done, he ran back to the room and went through the door on the other side and made it to a large platform held in the air by a short path. "The Phoenix is up ahead." Paltuena said.

"_Go die now!_" Hades chimed in. Pit ran to the platform and found the Wish Seed floating in the center of it. "The Wish Seed looks real enough." Pit said. The air was then pierced by a shrill shriek. "The Phoenix!" And as if on cue, a monstorous bird appeared in a flash of flame. the Phoenix was truly a sight to behold. Its body was covered in green plumage and a red scaled chest. Its wingspan was huge and its talons were curved and very sharp. The birds tail was long and feathered. A small bladed crest rested upon its head. Its eyes were fiery red and burned with rage. In total, the Phoenix was a sight of both majesty and terror.

"_He's not going to let you go without a fight!_" Palutena shouted.

"So I should go ahead and attack him?" Pit asked.

"_You have no choice_." Palutena replied. "_Unless you want to be flambeed. The Phoenix is cranky after fighting the Underworld forces. Who knows what he's capable of. You need to stop him!_"

"Oh,_ I will!_" Pit proclaimed. The Phoenix, however, made the frist move. It reared back and spat a large fireball at Pit. Pit moved to dodge the fireball, but the shockwave it created on impact sent him flying to the ground. The Phoenix then dived at Pit with talons raised, preparing to tear him asunder. Pit rolled out of the way just as it landed, but the Pheonix continued its vicious assault, attempting to trample Pit underfoot. Pit managed to avoid this and fired a charged shot at its eye with his Aquarius Blade. The Phoenix gave an enraged shriek and flapped its wings, firing two blade feathers at Pit. Pit dodged them and fired more shots at its chest. The beast flew away and circled the platform, diving under it on occasion to avoid Pit's shots. The Phoenix then rose up and wreathed itself in flames, diving straight at Pit. Pit used his sky jump power to avoid it and fired a charged shot at its back, dousing its flames and sending it crashing to the ground.

Pit then charged at the fallen beast and dealt several melee attacks with his Aquarius Blade until the Pheonix rose up and stomped the ground, sending three blades of energy at Pit. Pit dodged them all and fired another charged shot at its face. The sacred bird dived at Pit again, only for the angel to leap out of the way and hold on to its back. "Yeehaw! Ride em cowboy! Giddyup buckaroo!" Pit shouted as he clung on for dear life. The Pheonix bucked and flew around the platform in an attempt to throw the angel off its back. It quickly rose up and flew high into the air before making a flip that threw the angel off his back and onto the platform. It then breathed a torrent of flame on Pit, but he threw up a reflect barrier to defend against it. Rolling out of the way, he fired another charged shot at its face with his Posideon Cannon, dousing its flame breath and disorenting the beast. This left it open to more shots from his cannon.

The Pheonix eventually recovered and leaped into the air. It then began to rapidly flap its wings, sending several large tornadoes in Pit's general direction. Pit tried his best to avoid them, but ended up sucked into one of the tornadoes, hoisting him high into the air. The Phoenix took advantage of this moment to strike the angel with its wing, knocking him to the ground. The Pheonix prepared to fire another stream of flame at Pit, but he quickly tossed a Smart Bomb just as it breathed fire, causing an explosion that greatly damaged the Pheonix. Pit then pulled out his Palutena Bow and fired a charged arrow directly into the monster's heart, finally killing it. The Pheonix gave one final shriek as it fell to the ground before exploding, creating a large, Pheonix-shaped beacon of light.

"_Quickly, Pit! Destroy the Wish Seed!_" Palutena urged.

"On it!" Pit said. He then noticed that a Magmoo and a Skuttler Mage were fighting over it. "Wait, get away!" He then fired a charged shot from his bow that destroyed the Wish Seed, causing an explosion that killed the two Underworld monsters as well. "_You broke my toy!_" Hades whined.

"_It was only a bomb anyway_." Palutena said.

"Now everyone will know the Wish Seed was a fake!" Pit shouted.

"_Oh please_." Hades said. "_That beacon signals the world of the Pheonix's defeat, which will only make the humans believe that someone has taken the Wish Seed. Now I'll just give them a little nudge_." Hades's projection then appeared for all the world to see. "People of the world! The Wish Seed has been liberated! This is your chance to fufill your wildest dreams! All you have to do is conquer anyone in your way!"

"The people will _not_ be so easily decieved!" Pit declared

"_I wish that were true, but I foresee major bloodshed_." Palutena said. "_This is all my fault. Let's return, Pit. We have a war to stop_."

* * *

**_Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location_.**

"There they go." A female voice said. "It's another stampede." Four figures were watching a large scale battle between two massive human armies spurred on by the rumor of the Wish Seed. The battle was very bloody. "I'll never understand what attracts humans to a wish granting item."

"Humans are rather impulsive creatures." An elderly voice replied. "Especially when it comes to greed. Greed is a powerful emotion. It can cause those of weak wills to do rather insane things. So sad, really. Your orders, mistress?"

There was a short pause before another, though younger, female voice responded. "Mobilize the troops. We're moving out now."

"You sure, mistress?" The other female voice asked.

"Humankind owes Planet Earth a tremendous debt." The younger female sad. "And its high time it paid in full."

* * *

**Just who are these mysterious figures? And what plans do they have for the humans? Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**

**Next Chapter Preview: Next time on _Kid Icarus Uprising!_ All out war breaks out in the human realm! Spurred on by the rumor of the Wish Seed, entire nations of humans wage war against each other. Pit and Palutena try to stop the war, but then enters a new threat by Viridi, the Goddess of Nature who unleashes a devastating curse on the human race. Can Pit and Palutena quell her wrath? Find out on the next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**

**OOC: I should tell you guys that I'm a rabid TV Tropes fan, so I may leave little references to TV Tropes here and there. If you read hard enough, you may spot them. Also, I may make references to other games, so watch out for those too. Finally, not every weapon or power from the game will appear in the story.**


	12. Chapter 11: Viridi, Goddess of Nature

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_! Pit traveled to the volcanic home of the Immortal Phoenix to investigate the existence of the Wish Seed, a powerful item said to grant any single wish. While exploring Pheonix Mountain, Palutena eventually deduces that the Wish Seed is a ruse created by Hades to provoke the humans into waging war. However, the Phoenix had become enraged by the constant attacks and would attack humanity if he was not stopped. Having no other alternative, Pit slew the mighty bird, causing it to send a beacon that alerted the world of its defeat. Now Pit and Palutena must try to avert the bloddiest war in Skyword's history.**

"Officer Pit reporting for duty!" Pit said as he flew out the door. He flew downward and the most horrific sight caught his eye: a tremendous army of humans were fighting one another. It was a gruesome scenario. Human soilders were locked in fierce battle. One soilder was decapitated, blood spraying everywhere. Another had several spears run through his heart. Catapults hurled flaming rocks that took out large groups of soilders. Two soilders were fighting and one managed to knock the other to the ground. That soilder then snapped his fallen opponent's neck with his bare hands. It was all too much to bear and Pit eventually looked away with silent tears in his eyes.

"_The humans have fallen for Hades's hoax_." Palutena said. "_They're killing themselves over that fantasy_."

"It looks like entire nations are fighting each other." Pit replied. He then looked up and caught sight of hordes of Underworld monsters flying down towards the army. On instinct, Pit took out his Palutena Bow and opened fire on them. "_The Underworld Army is here to gather souls." _Palutena said_. "Clearly they expect many casualties. We can't stop a war this big right now. Focus on the Underworld Army_."

"Roger!" Pit responded as he continued slaying Underworld monsters, flying over a ravaged, war-torn town. He couldn't help but look at all the carnage and think, "_This is all my fault. If I hadn't killed the Pheonix then none of this would be happening. Now thanks to me, innocent people are getting slaughtered for no reason! I've gotta set this right!_"

"So things are going exactly as Hades planned." Pit finally said.

"_He spread the rumor about the Wish Seed_." Palutena replied. "_And the humans were gullible enough to believe it_."

"If only we had a chance to tell them the Wish Seed was a fake." Pit said as he flew near the human army attempting to storm the town. THeir catapults pummeled away at the town walls. "Now look at them, It's like they lost their humanity and all they have left is...brutality!" Pit flew over the town and back into the sky. But unbeknownst to him, a light began to glow in the sky. It looked like a meteor aand it seemed to be heading straight in Pit's direction! Palutena gave a sharp gasp in response. "What's wrong?!" Pit asked, still unaware of the object heading straight for him.

"_I have to pull you back_, now!" Palutena said as she telekinetically yanked Pit backward by his wings. "Huh? WHOA!" Pit cried out in surprise as he watched the falling object collide with the town, causing a tremendous explosion. When the explosion cleared. Pit looked on in horror at what he saw. The entire town was completely obliterated! It was as if it was wiped off the map, like it never existed at all! In its place stood a large, dome-shaped object. The sky had darkened and the air felt heavy, choking Pit with the stench of death. "W-What was _that?!_" he asked, completely horrified at the untold destruction.

Before either of them could say anything, the silence was pierced by the sound of what appeared to be a young girl's voice. Pit looked to see the giant projection of a young girl. From her physical appearance, she couldn't have been no older than eight. Her hair was long and blonde, tied up in a ponytail with a flower on it. Some of it trailed down her face near her left eye. Her skin was fair and she had brilliant gold eyes. The clothing she was was largely organic and seemingly made of natural materials. the top half of her dress was colored burgundy and brown with a large purple flower on the center. She wore a green sleeve with a brown band that covered her right arm. A smal brown and green band covered her left wrist. The bottom half of her dress was colored red and burgundy with brown vines covering it. She wore green pants underneath her dress and brown shoes that exposed her toes. In her right hand she held a large, wooden staff that curved to almost resemble a scythe.

"Nice shot if I do say so myself!" the girl said. "Good riddance, human scum! The world's better off _without_ you!"

"_That was the goddess of nature, Viridi_." Palutena said. "_Pit! Go check things out!_"

"I'm on it!" Pit replied as he flew toward the dome. On the way, he was attacked by what appeared to be... flying acorns? They were small, living acorns with small leaves for wings. They each had a singular, yellow eye. They attacked by opening their heads to fire shots at Pit. Pit dodged them all and retaliated with shots from his Palutena Blade. He also came under fire from floating chunks of rock. Whenever Pit shot them, they would break apart and fly at him. Pit alos encountered floating ree stumps with yellow eyes and thunderclouds floating above them. They moved about erratically and fired bolts of electricity. He noticed that some Underworld monsters survived the blast and were engaging the plant monsters in battle.

"_So you're the famous Palutena_." Viridi said. "_I hear you've been busy._"

"_And you're Viridi, ruler of the earth and all living things_." Palutena replied.

"_Hmph! I didn't know I had a fan club_." came Viridi's sarcastic reply.

"Why have you done this?!" Pit asked with clear anger in his tone.

"_Humans are driven by selfish desire_." she began. "_They think only of themselves. They were killing each other for was? A wish?! A_ fake _wish?! They strayed too far from their intended path. That's where my Reset Bombs come in-to help return earth to its natural state!_"

"_But aren't humans living beings too?_" Palutena asked. "_Yet you think nothing of exterminating them_." Viridi gave a derisive laugh in response, unfazed by the accusation. "_That's rich coming from_ you! _You don't seem to have much of a problem slaughtering Underworld forces_."

"But that's totally different!" Pit shouted as he continued fighting Viridi's monsters, this time facing off against flying monsters made of leaves that shot lasers from their eyes.

"_We're defending the earth and heavens from those who seek their destruction_." Palutena added. Pit eventually made it to the large dome, revealing that it was a tangled ball of branches and vines. Pit flew around it and eventually found a hole that he could enter. "_Let's take a closer look, Pit_." Palutena said as Pit flew through the hole and into the forest. There were vines and branches and trees everywhere. "This is a pretty twisted version of nature." Pit said as he observed his surroundings.

"Humans _massacre Earth's creatures, decimate the trees, and exploit the land_." Viridi replied. "They're _the twisted ones! They're enemies of life itself! Tell me Palutena, why do_ they _deserve special treatment?!_"

"_Because, of all creatures, humans are closest to the gods_." Palutena replied. "_Gods cannot intervene in mankind's affairs as you have. You have no right_."

"_No_ right?!" came Viridi's impassioned, outraged cry. "_Humans are trampling over the rights of every other living thing! Should I just sit back and watch as they continue to destroy the earth?! No, I must exterminate them all before it's too late!_"

"_There's just no reasoning with her_." Palutena said.

"I have to admit she has a valid point." Pit began. "But wiping out humanity is _not_ the answer!"

"_I agree completely._" Palutena replied. "_You've given us no choice but to oppose you, Viridi_."

"_Oh! That's brave of you,_" Viridi chuckled., "_But the Forces of Nature... We're not what you're used to_." Pit ignored her words and continued his voyage, moving through the trees and ascending to the top of the forest. Along the way, he encountered more strange plant monsters. One was a flying Venus Flytrap that shot condensed blasts of water at Pit. Another seemed to be a huge fish made from a string of rocks. It slowly swum through the ari while firing missiles at Pit. He alos encountered monsters that resembeld living cannon made of rocks. Another type of monster resembled the Paratrooper that fired blasts of air from its blades. Pit fought his way through the swarm of plant monsters and neared the top of the forest.

"_I'm surprised you've survived this long, Pit_." Viridi said.

"I'll take _that_ as a compliment!" Pit replied.

"_I think it's time you meet one of my finest warriors. Come on out, Cragalanche!_" Pit looked up to see a large meteor heading straight for him! At first he thought it to be another Reset Bomb, but it was too small. Regardless, Pit moved to avoid it, but he was too slow. It wasn't a direct collision, but is was enough to send him careening to the ground screaming. "_Pit!_" Palutena shouted. Pit fell to the ground, hitting several branches on the way down until he landed in front of a large tree, landing on his shoulder. "Aw, dang it!" he cursed. With a groan, he slowly climbed to his feet and popped his shoulder back into place, using a Health Recovery for good measure.

"_Are you OK, Pit?_" Palutena replied.

"I'll live." Pit groggly replied.

"_Now Pit, you _are_ the captain of Palutena guard, yes?_" Viridi asked. "_I look foward to seeing how you fare against Cragalanche_."

"You should be more worried about how_ he_ fares against _me!_" Pit boasted.

"_Careful, Pit_." Palutena said. "_I need you in good shape. Besides you, all I've got are the Centurions. You know, maybe I should open a boot camp to toughen them up_."

"Still wouldn't give them muscles like these!" Pit said as he flexed his muscles to express his point. He then began to think. Realizing that the monsters he faced were plants, Pit pulled out his Wolf Claws and headed into the tree. Just as he did, a wall of vines blocked off the way he came in and another way out. He was met by more flying acorns and two moving cannons. He alos saw a large moving humanoid tree with a single eye.

The tree charged at Pit and flipped him over with its long arms, knocking him onto his back. Pit got to his feet and fired a charged shot from his Wolf Claws. The tree creature burned to ash in a matter of minutes. Before Pit could react, he was blown away by a shot from one of the rock cannon. It opened its lid to fire off another round, but Pit struck first, firing severals shots into its cannon, causing the round to explode and kill the creature. Pit then disposed of the remaining plant monsters. With them gone, the wall of thorns surrounding the exits receded. Pit looked around and found a human soilder bound to the wall by vines. "Good! There are survivors!" Pit exclaimed.

_"They're a stubborn bunch, hanging on like that_." Palutena said. "_Set as many free as you can_."

"Uh...stubborn?" Pit asked with a raised eyebrow, having caught on to the unfortunate comparison with that statment.

"_Oh, I didn't mean it like that_." Palutena said, having realized her mistake.

"_Maybe what you meant to say was 'insignificant'_." Viridi chimed in. Pit cut the soilder down with his Wolf Claws, letting him drop to the ground. Pit kneeled down next to him and asked, "Are you hurt?"

A groan escaped the soilder's lips as conciousness slowly returned to him. He then looked up to see Pit kneeling over him. "An... angel? Am I...Am I dead?" the soilder asked.

"Sorry, it's not your time yet." Pit replied with a small chuckle. "Now, are you hurt?"

"A little." the soilder replied. In response, Pit used another Health Recovery power on him. "That should help a little." he said. The soilder began to climb back to his feet. "It does. Thanks." The soilder attempted to walk, only to stumble and fall to the ground. Pit caught him a propped him onto a wall. "Easy. You're not at full strength." Pit chided. "Do you know if there are other survivors?"

"Not sure." he said. "I thought I was the only one. What the hell's happening?!"

"Put simply, you've ticked off Mother Nature and now she's striking back." Pit said. "Just rest easy for now. When you get your strength back, try to find a way out of the forest. I'll see if their are more survivors. I'll try to set this right, hopefully." Pit then left the soilder and headed through a path littered with pitfalls. He also encountered more plant monsters. He defeated them all and moved onward, finding another human soilder bound by vines. He freed the soilder from his restraints. "Thank the Gods, I'm saved!" the soilder exclaimed.

"Glad to see your safe. Now, get to safety." Pit commanded. "There's another soilder waiting."

"Thank you, I will." he said as he ran off. Pit moved onward down a narrow hall. from what he could tell, these were the vague, skeletal remains of buildings. "I can still make out buildings in the forest." he said.

"_There must have been a town here_." Palutena replied.

"_Reset Bombs won't harm wildlife or natural habitats_." Viridi chimed in. "_Their only purpose is the obliteration of humankind_."

"Oh is_ that_ all?" Pit asked with obvious sarcasm.

"_In a few years, this place will be completely covered in green_." Viridi began. "_Flowers will bloom, trees will grow, and the natural food chain will take over. It will be mankind's winter, and the beginning of_ my _spring!_"

"Not if I have something to say about it!" Pit said as he cut through the vines and proceeded onward to a large cave. Just as he entered, he was attacked by a strange creature. It was a serpentine monster with a beak made of an ear of corn. Before the angel could react, the monster constricted around him, it's grip like a vice. He could feel his conciousness fading. In a split decision, he summoned his Burning Palm and grabbed at the monster, burning it. The creature screeched and loosened its grip, allowing Pit to fire a charged shot that incinerated the beast. Another one burrowed into the ground and attempted to strike Pit from below, but Pit dodged to the side and decapitated the beast with his Wolf Claws.

Pit was about to proceed until he caught a glimpse of gold out of the corner of his eye. He looked to investigate and found a shallow remain of a hot spring. "_It looks like there used to be a hot spring here_." Palutena said.

"Wait! There's a little water left!" Pit said.

"_Do you soak in every random puddle that crosses your path?_" Viridi asked. Pit ignored her words and ran to the hot spring to heal. "_What's with you and hot springs?_"

"What's with you and not minding your own buisness?" came Pit's rebuttal question. Unfortunately, the hot spring didn't fully heal Pit, but it was enough to keep him going. He left the hot spring and went back to the room and through the other exit to his left. That's when he met another strange plant creature. This one was a large fungus-like monster with multiple eyes. It fired orbs of poison from the top of its head, one of which managed to hit Pit. Pit used an Effect Recovery power to ward off the poison, then destroyed the monster. He then used a jump pad to get to the second level of the room, landing on large branches. "I've been wondering something." Pit began.

"_What's that?_" Palutena asked.

"Do all gods have their own angels like you have me?" Pit asked back.

"_No, I don't think that's necessarily the case_." Palutena replied.

"_I wish I had an angel to do my bidding_." Viridi chimed in. "_It's like having an intern_."

"I'm not an intern. I'm a messenger of the gods!" Pit protested.

"_Poor Pit. Don't you know that the definition of angel is "errand spirit"?_" Viridi asked.

"That's a lie. Right, Lady Palutena?" Pit asked. "I'm not your personal assistant." There was a bit of silence from Palutena for a while until she finally replied. "_I could use a coffee after this_."

"Sure thing. Cream and two sugars, right?" Pit asked. He then facepalmed when he realized what he just said. He shook if off, but before he could move, he was attacked by two more moving cannons. Pit dispatched them all and used the jump pads to move foward, jumping out of a hole in the ground. He then moved out of the way as a laser fired at him. He ducekd for cover to see that his attacker was a living flower that shot a laser from its eye. Once the flower stopped firing, Pit took the opportunity to get off a charged shot with his Wolf Claws. He moved up the railway and found another human soilder. He cut the soilder loose and the man embraced him in a large hug. "Oh, thank you! thank you! You saved me!" he practically cried.

"OK, ok! Get a hold of yourself, soilder!" Pit said as he broke off the hug. "Get to safety."

"You don't have to tell _me_ twice!" he said as he ran off. He then vanished in a flash of light. "Where'd he go?!" Pit asked.

"_I extracted him and the other soilders you found out of the forest_." Palutena answered.

"Thanks, Lady Palutena! You're always thinking." Pit said.

"_I also set up a grind rail ahead since you can't go any farther_." Palutena continued.

"Thank you kindly!"

"_It's tangled in there so I had to wind it around the trees_." Palutena said.

"_Calling you a snake would be an insult to snakes!_" Viridi said. "_But you_ are _crafty. I'll give you that_." Pit hopped on the grind rail and traversed through the forest, taking out any plant monsters he came across. He eventually reached the end of the grind rail and used a jump pad to reach the ledge. That's where he saw another tree monster and a new plant monster. This one was a green cactus monster with a mask. It's hands were behind its back and three red energy orbs floated around it. It's mask was designed to resemble the face of an old man.

Pit immedately fired on the strange monster, but his shots bounced right off it. The monster retaliated by firing its orbs at Pit, who dodged them with ease. The creature's mask flipped over, now resembling an enraged monster. The creature's body insantly turned red and glowed with a blue aura. It then charged at Pit and knocked him onto his back. Pit attacked with melee slashes, but they had no effect and the monster punched him in return.

"Man, look at the face on this guy!" Pit said.

"That's a Jitterthug." Viridi said. "_Melee attacks won't hurt him at all when he's red. And when he's green, shooting him won't work. What are you going to do now?!_"

"Uh... I guess I'll just melee him when he's green and shoot him when he's red." Pit replied. "Or, If I want to take a third option..." Pit accentuated his point by tossing a grenade at the Jitterthug, killing it instantly. "...I could do that instead." he said with a coy smile.

"_But... Oh, darn it!_" Viridi said, having realized her mistake.

"_Thanks for the advice!_" Palutena said. Pit then looked ot see yet another trapped soilder. Pit freed the soilder from his bonds. The soilder dropped to the ground. When he looked up and saw Pit, his reaction was...quite different than the other soilders. He immediately screamed and jumped to his feet, running for dear life."Ahhh! It's an angel They _do_ exist!" He was then surrounded by a bright light and vanished.

"Uh... You're welcome?" Pit said with a raised eyebrow. He shook it off and jumped on another grind rail, traversing the forest once again. He eventually landed in front of an Aether Ring. "Hey, an Aether Ring!" Pit said.

"_You're a lucky angel, Pit_." Palutena replied.

"Believe me, I know. These things drive _smooooooth!_" Pit said.

_"Plus they provide protection_ and _firepower._" Palutena said. "_Is that good design or what!_" Pit hopped in the Aether Ring and rode it down a nearby tunnel. He wound up in another pat of the forest with a large tree in the center. Pit encountered antoher of Viridi's monsters. This time it was a huge boulder with stubby legs, markings on its body, and a small green leaf sticking out from the top. It did a short jump in the air and landed with a shockwave. Pit used the Aether Ring's forcefield to defend against it, then retaliated with shots from the Ring's mounted gun. It took ahwile, but Pit eventually felled it.

"This place is huge." Pit said.

"_There's another Aether Ring in the middle of that giant tree_." Palutena noted.

"But why there?" Pit aksed.

"_Ask Viridi_." Palutena replied.

"_I installed it for my army to use_." Viridi began. "_But no one passed Driver's Ed_."

"_I'm not surprised._" Palutena said.

"I can't believe you didn't think of that before." Pit said.

"_You were_ attacking!" Viridi protested. "_I was_ busy! _Leave me alone!_" Pit took out any remaining enemies before exiting the Aether Ring and using a jump pad to get onto the ledge. He then jumped off, his wings slowing his descent as he landed in a large hot spring. "What's this? A hot spring! A _huge_ hot spring!" Pit exclaimed as the hot spring healed his wounds.

"_It's nature's bathtub_." Palutena said. Pit used a nearby jump pad to exit the hot spring and landed on a ledge. "_There's a maze up ahead_." Palutena said. "_Try not to get too lost_." Pit immediately took off and followed the yellow path. Along the way he saw yet another strange plant creature. This one looked less like a plant and more like a flying amoeba with six yellow eyes. It spotted Pit and threw up a force field in response. Pit shot through the force field and it eventually shattered. He then finished the creature off with a charged shot.

"_Viridi's army is called the Forces of Nature_." Palutena said. "_Many of her troops are made of natural resources like wood, dirt, and rocks_."

"Well, that's pretty obvious." Pit said to himself. "Eco-conscious down to her troops! Everyone's going green these days."

"_I'm not going green; I've always_ been _green_." Viridi said. "_I use cloth shopping bags. I compost my food scraps. And I seperate my recycling into _15_ types!"_

"Now this is a goddess who sweats the details." Pit said.

"_I could learn a thing or two from her_." Palutena said.

"And, let me guess, you also wear foilage panties, right?" Pit asked Viridi.

"_Exactly! Hey!_" Viridi shouted, having caught on to the implications of that question. Pit simply broke out into laughter. "Got you!" he said triumphantly.

"_Ew! Pervert!_" Viridi said.

_"Now Pit, that wasn't very nice_." Palutena scolded. "_Though it_ was _pretty funny_."

"_Yeah_, real _funny. Freak_." Viridi said.

"_I've also heard that the Forces of Nature are actually quite tasty_." Palutena said.

"WHAT?!" Pit asked.

"_Apparently, they're especially delicious when paired with a hard cheese_." Palutena said.

"_That is entirely untrue!_" Viridi protested. "_Don't believe her lies!_" Pit continued downward and reached a crossroads. That's when he heard the faint cries of help. "Lady Palutena, did you hear something?" Pit asked.

"_I'm sensing human soilders somewhere to your left_." Palutena said. "_They might need your help_."

"On it!" Pit said as he turned left. He went down the paht and came across two soilders bound by vines. He cut them both free and they fell to the ground. "Well this is a swell idea, Jack." One soilder said to the other. "'Let's join the army. We'll be heroes. Girls'll fall for us.' Look where it got us, you idiot!"

"And how the hell's it _my_ fault, Leo?!" the other soilder snapped back. "How was I supposed to know we'd end up pissing off the Goddess of Nature?!"

"It was _your_ idea, dumbass!" Leo replied.

"Well you sure as fuck didn't have to listen to me, asshole!" Jack snapped.

"Fuck you!" Leo said.

"No, _fuck you!_" Jack retorted, giving Leo the middle finger.

"Okay, okay enough!" Pit finally said, breaking up the argument. "No need to be dropping F-Bombs all over the place. Kids might be reading this fanfic. Now just get to safety, will you?!"

The two soilders simply gave Pit bewildered stares before Jack said, "Eh, whatever."

"Yeah, sure." Leo replied. "The two were then enveloped in a bright light and were teleported out of the forest. "That's the last of the survivors." Palutena said.

"Good." Pit said. "Now let's move on." Pit made his way back to the crossroads and turned to the left. He then found himself facing a Jitterthug. "_I think yo're getting close to Cragalanche!_" Palutena said.

"I'll just take care of these guys first!" Pit said as he attacked the Jitterthug, using melee attacks when it was green and ranged shots when it was red. He then found himself surrounded by a group of flying plant monsters. The landed on the ground and fought Pit, using their leaf wings as lethal blades. Pit tried his best to avoid their attacks and fought back in kind using his Wolf Claws. He defeated all the monsters and moved on. "_OK, let's go!_" Palutena said.

Pit jumped down and landed in front of a large boulder. It seemed rather innocuous at first glance. That is, until it revealed two glowing red eyes. The rocky shell then burst open like a caterpillar emerging from its cocoon as a butterfly. It revealed a large, living boulder-like creature within. It walked on short, stubby legs and its hands were large and brown. The monster rolled around on its feet and faced Pit.

"Cragalanche, huh?" Pit taunted. "What are you, a monster truck?"

"_Pit, huh?_" Viridi interjected. "_What are _you?_ A hole in the ground?_" Cragalanche, however, said nothing but attacked, rolling straight at Pit. Pit yelped and moved out of the way. "Guy doesn't talk much, does he?" Pit asked.

"_He's a rock_." Viridi said. "_Last I checked, they're more of the strong, slilent type. Tell you what-I'll do the talking for him. Cragalanche crush!_" Craglanche followed up by tossing a fireball at Pit. The angel evaded the fireball and charged at Cragalanche, slashing away with his Wolf Claws. But his weapons seemed to have no noticable effect. Cragalanche reared his right hand back and enlarged it, punching Pit with enough force that it sent him flying back. Pit landed on the ground with a hard thud. Pit fired a charged shot in retaliation, but Cragalanche rolled out of the way to avoid it.

"Wow" Pit said. "Nice moves!"

"_Yes, he's been pracitcing this routine all week_." Viridi replied. Cragalanche leaped into the air and hovered towards Pit before slamming the ground, creating a shockwave. Pitwas able to avoid Cragalanche, but the resulting shockwave sent him flying once again. Cragalanche then raised his left hand, summoning a pillar of earth beneath Pit that sent him flying inot the air. Cragalanche immediately attacked with another fireball that knocked Pit back to the ground. Pit quickly rose to his feet. "No more games!" he shouted as he summoned his Drill Arm. The two combatants then charged at each other, their fist colliding. Pit's Drill Arm shattered Cragalanche's hand, but the golem regenerated his hand from whatever rock was nearby. Pit then fired off several shots that forced Cragalanche to block with his hands.

"_It seems attacking Cragalanche head on won't do much damage_." Palutena said. "_Swing around him and try attacking from behind_." Cragalanche charged at Pit like a meteor. Pit used his Sky Jump power and leaped over him, firing a charged shot that hit a glowing jewel embedded in his back. The impact caused Cragalanche to topple over onto his side. "It looks like there's a weak spot on his butt!" Pit said.

"_Arrgh! Oh, he was supposed to get that fixed!_" Viridi said.

"Thanks for the tip!" Pit replied.

"_I didn't say anything!_" Viridi protested.

"It's butt-kicking time! Literally!" Pit said.

"_Oh, shut up!_" Viridi replied. "_You're not clever at all!_" Pit took the opportunity to unleash more melee attacks before Cragalanche rose up and knocked Pit away. Cragalanche then summoned a wall of boulders and flung them all at Pit. Pit destroyed one of them with his Drill Arm. Craglanche retaliated by raising two flat surfaces of earh on both sides of Pit, then clapped his hands together and caused them to crash together. Luckily, Pit dodged them in time.

Cragalanche then planted both of his hands on the ground, causing spikes of earth to appear out of the ground. Pit nimbly dodged each one and tried his best to close the distance between him and Cragalanche, but just as he was about to attack, the golem tunneled into the ground. Pit looked around frantically only for Cragalanche to rise out from below, grab Pit by the leg, and throw him to the ground. Cragalanche then turned his left hand into a long whip and grabbed Pit again, knocking him around like a ragdoll before slamming him into the ground again.

Cragalanche jumped into the air and attempted to crush Pit beneath him, but Pit rolled away and fired another charged shot at his back that sent him toppling over on his side again. Pit unleashed more melee attacks and moved away when Cragalanche recovered. The enraged golem beat his chest before slamming the ground and causing a large eruption that Pit barely dodged. He then rolled towards Pit, but the angel leaped over him and tossed a Boom Spear at him, timing it just right to ensure it would embed itself on his back.

Cragalanche turned to face Pit only for the Boom Spear to explode, seriously wounding him. Pit then took the opportunity to use his Angelic Missile power and charged at Cragalanche. Cragalanche tried to block, but before he could do anything, Pit shot straight through him, tearing a hole clean through his chest. It proved to be the fatal blow as Cragalanche's eyes faded to black before he fell to the ground and promptly exploded. "In your rock face!" Pit shouted.

"That's your idea of a victory taunt? Please." Viridi said. Pit gave a small snarl and turned to face the giant projection of Viridi towering over him, giving a few sarcastic claps."You put on quite a show there." She began. "But you should know that the next Reset Bomb is very nearly complete. Hmm, now where do you supposed I drop it this time?" She asked with a sadistic giggle before fading away.

"You can't do that!" Pit protested.

"_First Hades, now Viridi?_" Palutena asked, clearly distressed at the turn of events that have transpired. "_We need to figure out a plan_." She then extracted Pit back to the temple to regroup.

* * *

**Now that another threat has revealed itself, will Pit and Palutena be able to fight a war on two fronts? Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising_!**

**Next Chapter Preview: Next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising! _A war on two fronts breaks out as the Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature are locked in fierce battle. Pit and Palutena take advantage of the chaos and attempt to infiltrate Viridi's Reset Bomb Depot in hopes of stopping the Reset Bombs at the source. Will they succeed? Find out, next time!**


	13. Chapter 12: Wrath of the Reset Bomb

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Spurred on by the rumors of the false Wish Seed, the humans started a large-scale international war. Pit and Palutena attempted to avert some of the damage, but were faced by a new threat: Viridi, the Goddess of Nature. Angered by the humans' continuous abuse of nature, Viridi unleashed her deavastating Reset Bombs to exterminate them all. Pit managed to rescue the surviving humans and even bested her commander, Cragalanche, but Viridi proclaimed that the next Reset Bomb was complete. Now Pit and Palutena must end the threat of the Reset Bombs.**

"I'm heading out!" Pit said as he ran out the door. He was met by the sight of the Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature battling each other. Monoyes were engaging Bladers, and three Nutskis were attacking a Belunka. "_The Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature are engaged in battle_." Palutena said.

"What? Why are Hades and Viridi fighting?" Pit asked.

"_Isn't it obvious?_" Viridi chimed in.

"You again!" Pit said.

"_These brutes have a complete disregard for life_." Viridi said. "_They're even worse than humans!_"

"_Ho ho ho!_" Hades chuckled. "You're_ one to talk, little goddess! At least_ I _give the humans_ you _kill peace after death_."

Pit flew through the area, attacking both the Underworld and the Forces of Nature. Luckily they were more concerned with killing each other than attacking Pit. "_We have an opportunity here, Pit_." Palutena began. "_Let's use this chaos to our advantage_."

"OK, what's my target?" Pit asked.

"Viridi is planning to drop another Reset Bomb in this area." Palutena replied.

"What? Where exactly?!" Pit asked with panic seeping into his tone.

"_I'm still not sure_." Palutena replied.

"And with Hades's army after them too, the humans don't stand a chance!" Pit said. "We _have_ to do something!" Pit flew higher and higher into the sky, taking out more Underworld and Forces of Nature troops. Eventually, he managed to catch sight of the bomb descending from the sky. "_There's the bomb. We'd better hurry!_" Palutena said as she accelerated Pit's wings. "Roger!" Pit replied as he rose further into the air, killing more Forces of Nature troops. "That bomb won't be resetting _anything_ when I'm done with it!"

"_What mischief are you two getting into now?_" Viridi asked. "_Rise my children, and pluck this dweeb from the air!_"

"Dweeb?!" came Pit's offended reply.

"_I'm sorry, but that's one point for Viridi_." Palutena said.

"Yeah? Well...every dweeb has his day." Pit replied.

"Hmm... _Make that_ two _points for Viridi_." Palutena said.

"Whose side are you on?" Pit asked.

"_The funny side_." Paltuena replied.

"Well, I need you on _my_ side!" Pit said. He kept flying until he made it out of the clouds and finally reached the Reset Bomb. It was a truly massive sight. It looked like a giant seed. It was mainly colored red with purple vines covering it. Its crown was colored purple with six green orbs lining it. "The Reset Bomb is going to wreak havoc if it hits the ground!" Pit said.

"_There's_ nothing _natural about that._" Palutena replied.

"How do I stop it?!" Pit asked, readying his weapon to strike.

"Careful-the bomb could explode if you start shooting indiscriminately." Palutena warned. "Oh, I know. Shoot the green targets to remove the crown and expose the core. Then destroy the core." Pit followed Palutena's instructions and began firing on the green orbs, a process that was admittedly harder than anticipated due to the bomb's constant motion and the occasional Bladers and Nutskis that would antagonize Pit. "Huh! It's like a shooting game! I can almost feel the controller in my hands!" He said. It took a while, but Pit managed to destroy all the green orbs and expose the Bomb's yellow core. "_The core's exposed. Hurry!_" Palutena urged.

"Come on, bomb! Do your worst!" Pit roared as he opened fire on the core, which began to change color as it took damage. Eventually, the core was destroyed before the bomb reached the surface. It exploded in midair. "Yeah! Destructimated!" Pit exclaimed.

"_I don't believe this!_" Viridi shouted.

"_I know, isn't it wonderful?_" Palutena asked. "_But we can't rest yet. Viridi has a Reset Bomb Factory that we need to shut down. Once we deal with it, that'll be the end of these horrid things_."

"Aye aye!" Pit responded as Palutena once again accelerated his wings, hoisting him high in the air. "Your reign of destruction ends here, Viridi!" Pit then found himself under attack by what appeared to be plant-shaped battleships that fired laser beams. "_Watch out, Pit!_" Palutena said.

"Laser beams?!" Pit exclaimed as he did his best to evade the enemy fire.

"_Children!_" Viridi said. "_You must protect the Reset Bomb Depot!_"

"It won't work, Viridi." Pit said. "You have a problem with humans. OK, we get it. But more destruction won't help _anything!_"

"_Oh, please_." Viridi groaned in response. "This _coming from the flying munitions depot himself!_ _You're as destructive as a_ hundred _Reset Bombs!_"

"Maybe, but_ I'm_ destroying evil!" Pit replied. It's _totally_ different! Look it up." Pit eventually managed to fly past the battleships and reached what appeared to be a huge, floating island. Large leaves and chrystaline structures littered the island. On its underside were multiple Reset Bombs protruding from it that looked like they could fall off at any moment. "_We're approaching the Reset Bomb Depot_." Palutena said.

"It's huge!" Pit said as he took in the sight of the massive fortress.

"_I'll look for a place to land_." Palutena said as Pit flew around the Depot, killing off Forces of Nature troops. He flew through a long corridor and into a long tunnel before appearing on the other side of the depot. "_Up here looks like a good spot_." Palutena said. "_Prepare for landing. It could get a little rough_." Pit screamed as she then accelerated Pit's wings again, sending him into the Depot. He managed to land without much difficulty.

"_Just going to stroll in without backup?_" Viridi asked. "_That's brave, if not very smart. Rise my children! Politely destroy our guest!_"

"How do you politely destroy someone?" Pit asked.

"_Hello there! Welcome to Viridi's Reset Bomb Depot!_" Palutena said. "_We would love to give you a tour of our facilities, but by order of Mistress Viridi, we must sadly destroy you. We do hope you don't take it personally and have a nice day!_"

"Very funny." Pit said flatly. He walked down the path and was confronted by what appeared to be a cycloptic bomb with small red wheels. "What is this?" Pit asked.

"That's _a Bumpety Bomb_." Viridi answered.

"Cute name." Palutena replied. "It almost feels wrong to destroy them... Oh well. Just watch out for their blast radius, Pit!" Pit took out his Capricorn Club and swattend the bomb away, which exploded over the horizon. "Swing! Batta batta batta!" he said. He was attacked by another Bumpety Bomb and simply repeated his method. A Cherubot then appeared in the distance. "_I brought a Cherubot for you_." Palutena said.

"_I can't imagine that pile of metal if very fuel effcient_." Viridi said.

"_Acutally it runs on goddess power, which is totally renewable_." Palutena replied. Pit hopped in the Cherubot and made his way towards a circular arena, jumping across the gaps. He made his way down and found himself in the middle of a fight between two groups of Urgles and Skuttlers.

"_Dang it, Hades! Get your filthy troops out of my bomb depot!_" Viridi demanded.

"_You're awfully cute when you're flustered, rosebud_." Hades replied.

"The Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature are still fighting." Pit said.

"_Then take them_ both _out_." Palutena commanded. Pit immediately opened fire on all the enemies in the arena. Two of the Urgles attempted to charge him, only for Pit to swat them away with the Cherubot's melee arm. A Belunka then slowly flew in. Pit fired on the Belunka before it could spawn reinforcements. "Destructified!" Pit shouted. With the enemies gone, Pit jumped out of the Cherubot and made his way to a walkway, only to be nearly hit by a nearby Lethinium's laser. "Wowza!" Pit said as he ducked behind a nearby wall.

"_Lasers seem like overkill_." Palutena said.

"_We usually get much_ bigger _enemies here_." Viridi chimed in.

"_Too bad Pit's just so_...tiny." Palutena replied.

"Hey, I can hear you, you know!" Pit snapped. Pit waited until the Lethinium stopped firing its laser before firing a shot with his Palutena Blade. He traveled further up to find another Lethinium. He saw a bomb near it as well. He ducked behind a wall to avoid its laser, then fired a shot at the bomb near it, causing it to explode and kill the creature. He made his way across, taking cover to avoid laser fire and detonating bombs. He reached a small circular platform and encountered a living mass of mud. It had branches sticking out of it to resemble horns and twin red crystals protruding from it as well.

"There's nothing like fighting a pile of mud to make a guy feel tough." Pit said.

"_Mudrones are pretty resilient, so you actually_ do _need to be tough to fight them_." Palutena said. "_To completely defeat them, you have to take them down three times_." The Mudrone attacked with laser beams from its crystals. Pit dodged them both and returned fire. The Mudrone fell to the ground, but recovered quickly. Pit fired on it again and it went down once more. When it rose up again, Pit fired a charged shot at it, finally killing it.

Pit went down the path and saw two Handora's battling a Pew Pew. Pit defeated them all and went up a path with walls of purple electricity dividing it down the middle. "I really don't think I should be touching these walls." Pit said.

"_Good instincts_." Palutena replied.

"_Bok bok bok!_" Viridi chimed in, imitating a chicken. "_What are you? Chicken?_"

"No, I'm just _sane_." Pit replied. "There's a difference." As he made his way upward, he was met by monsters called Cacaws, creatures that resembled a cross between a bird and a plant. It had four red beaks that served as makeshift claws. It attacked with sonic shrieks that disorented Pit. He made it to the top and was attacked by a group of Skreetles, purple bugs that scurried about, stopping only to intimidate Pit with the markings on their backs and fire lasers at him.

Pit defeated them all and moved on, finding himself at a crossroads. He made his way across, timing it right to avoid the rotating electric wall. He made it to a small arena and found two Skuttlers battling a Boom Stomper. "_More Underworld Forces!_" Viridi shouted.

"I get what Viridi has against Hades. He's destructive and evil." Pit said. "But what does Hades have against Viridi?"

"_I think you just answered your own question_." Palutena replied. "_Destruction is fun for him._"

"_Well, five points for the squares!_" Hades enthuiastically chimed in. "_It's true. This is just my idea of a good time. Not that these serious ladies would know anything about having a good time_."

"Don't even _put_ Lady Palutena in the same sentence as the goddess of brutality!" Pit shouted.

"_It's goddess of_ nature!" Viridi corrected, with annoyance in her tone.

"_You'd think that the Lord of the Underworld would be too busy for mischief making_." Palutena said.

"Oh no." Hades replied. "Making mischief is one of my principal responsibilities." Pit defeated all the monsters and was attacked by a Captain Flare. It opened its cape and fired comets from the spatial disortion within it. Pit dodged them and fired back, killing the monster. He then went through the door and took the elevator down into the interior of the depot. The room was vast and mostly colored blue. "_We're approaching the bottom of the fortress_." Palutena said.

"Everything seems to be made out of natural materials." Pit said.

"_Reset Bombs must grow like fruit_." Palutena noted.

"Organic _fruit_." Viridi replied.

"_And when it's ripe, ir falls off the vine and just organically destroys everything in its path?_" Hades asked.

"_That's not_ exactly _how it goes_." Viridi replied.

"_But I'm in the ballpark aren't I?_" Hades asked.

"_Nature dictates that all life must eventually break down_." Viridi said. "_This is just an accelerated version of that process!_"

"The only thing accelerating is how fast I'll trash this place!" Pit declared. He traveled down the path to see Nutskis and Monoeyes fighting. Pit destroyed both groups and moved forward, reaching a crossroads. Pit traveled to the left, jumping across the gaps and reaching a treasure chest. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Mimicutie. "A mimicute?" Pit asked.

"_Neener-neener!_" Viridi taunted. Pit tossed a Smart Bomb at it and finished it off with a shot from his Leo Cannon. He then went back to the crossroads and headed ot the right. He went down the path killing any monster that got in his path. He made it to a jump pad and was confronted by a Pew Pew and a Toxicap. "_Children! Destroy the intruder!_" Viridi commanded. Pit dodged the Toxicap's posion bomb and fired a charged shot from his cannon. He then attacked the Pew Pew before it could fire at him. That's when Pit faced a very strange creature. It looked like the shell of a Rhino Beetle with some very thin legs. "What's the deal with this enemy?" Pit asked.

"_It's called a Meeba, and it's actually a kind of parasitic fungus_." Viridi replied.

"_That shell will block your attacks. Try getting behind it first_." Palutena said.

"_Hey! Who asked for your advice?!_" Viridi said. Pit jumped over the Meeba just as it charged at him. When he landed, he turned around to see that it had a yellow eye in its back. Pit fired a charged shot from his Leo Cannon at it, killing it instantly. Pit used the jump pad to get up and moved down another path. He then hopped on a grind rail, making enthuiastic cheers as he traversed it. "_Are you always so insufferably upbeat?_" Viridi asked.

"It's always good to have a positive outlook on life, Viridi." Pit replied.

"_You gotta stay upbeat, upbeat, upbeat!_" Palutena sang.

"Or you'll be dead meat, dead meat, dead meat!" Pit sang as well.

"_Like I said, insufferable!_" Viridi said. Before Pit could move onward, he was confronted by a Megonta and two Cacaws. Pit moved out of the way as the Megonta rolled toward him in an attempt to lfatten him. Pit fired a charged shot at its feet, casuing it to topple over and fall of the platform. Pit then killed off the two Cacaws before heading down the path. Using the jump pads to get to another platform. This one had two Bumpety Bombs and a Skreetle on it. Seeing a bomb in the center, Pit detonated it, killing them all instantly. That caused another jump pad to appear. Pit used it to get up to the next level. He walked down to the middle of the path and turned to the right. There, he was attacked by a Lurchthorn. He fired shot after shot at the monster until it went down.

He continued down until he was attacked by a Dibble Dop and a Pew Pew. "_Fight harder, children!_" Viridi commanded. "_He's just one little angel! If this fortress goes down, that's the end of all Reset Bombs!_"

"_That's right!_" Palutena said. "_Ready yourself, goddess of nature!_" Seeing a nearby bomb. Pit fired a shot at it, causing it to explode and vanquish the monsters. He was then attacked by a Boom Stomper. Pit tossed two grenades at it and followed up with some shots from his Palutena Blade. The monster was destroyed and an elevator appeared. It took him out of the depot's interior and he found himself back on the exterior. "This is disorenting." Pit said. He hopped in a nearby Cherubot and was attacked by a swarm of Nutskis, Skreetles, Urgles, Meebas, and a Boomb Stomper. He defeated them all and moved down the path, heading towards a nearby crystalline structure. "_This will take you to the heart of the depot up ahead_." Palutena said.

"It's so close!" Pit shouted. "In Palutena's name, I will eliminate the threat of the Reset Bomb!" Pit made it to the structure and got off the Cherubot. He ran through the door and into the elevator. "_It's time to put an end to the Reset Bombs once and for all!_" The elevator took him down to the heart of the Depot. In the large room hung a glowing, roundm rainbow-colored object. It was suspened over a pit by vines and branches. "_Pit, destroy the Reset Bomb Pod to bring down the entire depot._" Palutena said.

"Not a problem!" Pit shouted.

"_That's what_ you _think!_" Viridi said. "_Guards! Wake up and report for duty!_" At that moment, green robotic figures began to awaken just as a shell closed around the pod. They leaped in front of Pit and struck a pose. Each guard had a small cannon in place of their right arm and an eye on their chest. They all had blue markings on their chest and head that served as makshift eyes.

"We are the Gaia Guards!" They said in unison with robotic, monotonous voices. "We hear and obey, Mistress Viridi!"

"Four against one huh?" Pit asked with a cocky smile. "Huh. _Now_ it's a fair fight." One of the guards opened fire on Pit with his cannon. Pit dodged out of the way and charged at the guard with his Palutena Blade, cutting off his arm. He then attacked another guard, bisecting it at the waist. He charged at the next guard with a diagnal slice. The final guard was decapitated.

"_Ugh! I should've brought more soilders. More_ competent _soilders!_" Viridi groaned.

"_Sorry about that sprout_." Hades said. "_I'm afraid they're busy fighting my guys_."

"_But you have to admit, Hades. My troops are no joke, right?_" Viridi asked.

"_Oh yes, they're just terrifying_." Hades replied with obvious sarcasm. "_Quake-in-your-boots terrifying._"

"There's a shell protecting the Reset Bomb Pod!" Pit exclaimed. "How do I crack it?"

"_Try blasting a guard into the trench_." Palutena replied. "_The resulting explosion will help knock the shell loose, which is your cue to fire away!_" Pit looked at the fallen guards for a moment. "Hmmm. Maybe throwing a grenade will have the same effect." Pit said to himself. Just as he pulled out a grenade. He looked again to see the strangest sight. The fallen guards were regenerating their limbs and literally pulling themselves back together. In a matter of minutes, they were back on their feet. One of them outstretched their hand, extending it a great length to grab Pit by the head and slam him to the ground. With him pinned down, the guard turned his arm cannon into a drill and prepared to bring it down. Pit grabbed the drill and with great difficulty, brought towards his hand. The guard jerked back and released Pit, but did not cry out. Apparently they couldn't feel pain. Pit took the opportunity to drive the guard back with shots from his Palutena Blade. Another guard closed in and tried to land a punch on Pit. But Pit swung around behind him while taking out his Capricorn Club and firing a charged shot at point blank range. The shot knocked him and another guard into the trench.

Another guard unleashed rapid fire shots at Pit. Pit dodged them all and ran toward the guard, grabbing his cannon arm and turning the shots on the other guard, pumping it full of holes. He then threw the guard in the trench. The last guard used his regenerative powers to fill the holes in his armor before turning his cannon arm into a sword and charging at Pit. Pit simply tripped him and sent him falling into the trench. With all four guards in the trench, an explosion occured that destroyed the shell around the Pod. Pit immediately activated his Mega Laser and Meteor Shower powers as well as fired a stream of flame from his Pheonix Arm. Eventually the pressure from the three-pronged attack was too much and the pod exploded spectacularly.

"Obliteration!" Pit shouted as he did a victory pose. But before he could celebrate, the depot began to rumble. "_Good. Now let's get you out of here_." Palutena said as she temporaily reactivated the Power of Flight. Pit immediately flew out the depot, screaming and flailing about chaotically as he did.

"_My depot!_" Viridi shouted. "_That's it! You are now _officially_ on the top of my to-kill list!_"

"_Uh-oh. I better get you outta there, Pit!_" Palutena said as she extracted him.

* * *

_**Five hours later, at Viridi's Sanctuary.**_

Oh this was most unpleasant news to say the least. A Forces of Nature Guard was on his way to Viridi's chamber with news from the Flages of a most distressing matter. The Flages were the cover-opts specialists of Viridi's army, used for recon and information gathering. Two of them had infiltrated Palutena's temple and recieved news of their next target. That made the guard a bit nervous to say the least. The destruction of Mistress Viridi's depot left her practically foaming at the mouth hours earlier. Thankfully she managed to calm down with some tea. She was currently meditating in her room.

That's why he felt so nervous. With her Reset Bomb Depot gone, he didn't know how she would take this news. But he knew that keeping her out of the loop would be even worse. So, he decided to grin and bear it. He reached Viridi's room and knocked on the door. "Come in." came the reply. The guard stepped in the room and gave the usual bow. Viridi's room was what one would expect from someone so in tune with nature. The room was quite simplistic in its design. The entire room was made of wood. There was a bed on the right. The bed frame was made of wood. The matress was made of cotton and the blankets were made of silk. Next to the bed was a small drawer that held a lamp. There was a window next to the bed and the curtains were made of foliage. Directly in front of the bed was a drawer with a heart shaped mirror on it. That's where Viridi brushed her long, blond hair. In the center of the room was a small purple rug. Viridi was sitting on the rug in a meditative stance, surrounded by five purple candles.

"You have something to tell me?" Viridi asked, not turning to look at the guard.

"Yes." the guard replied. "I come with new from the Flages, but..."

"But what?" she asked again with a more annoyed tone.

"Well, I'm not sure how you'll take it." he replied.

"Look, the strongest sign of an effective leader is a clear head and calm mind." Viridi said. "So, I'm sure I can handle whatever you're about to tell me. Besides, I just lost my depot. I can't imagine this could be worse." The guard hesitated for a few moments before finally shrugging his shoulders. He then leaned down to whisper in Viridi's ear. What he said made Viridi's eyes snap open and widen. She said nothing for the longest time. The guard took a few heistant steps back and covered his ears for the ensuing scream that would occur. Viridi remained silent for a few more moments before she finally said, "_**THEY'RE HEADING FOR THE LUNAR** **SANCTUM?!**_" The shout was loud enough to be heard all throughout the Sanctuary. When Viridi was mad, the entire world knew it.

"Unfortunately... yes." came the guard's hesitant reply. Viridi began pacing back and foward frantically. "If they destroy the Lunar Sanctum, then they'll release the-Oh, forget it! Call Commander Arlon, tell him-no, never mind! I'll do it!" She then began making a telepathic call. "_Ah, Mistress Viridi_." A voice replied. "_To what do I owe the pleasure?_"

"Save the pleasantries, Arlon." Viridi snapped. "This is an emergency! Pit and Palutena are coming for the Lunar Sanctum and I don't think I have to tell you what happens if they destroy it. So make sure that doesn't happen!"

"_Understood, Mistress_." Arlon replied. "_I shall guard it with my life_."

"You better. If the Lunar Sanctum is destroyed, then everyone's doomed."

* * *

**Just what dark secret does the Lunar Sanctum hold? Find out on the next chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising!**

**Next Chapter Preview: Next time on Kid Icarus Uprising! Pit and Palutena wage and all-out assault on the Lunar Sanctum, a moon fortress controlled by Arlon the Serene. But more surprises await Pit. Will Pit emerge victorious? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Lunar Sanctum

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus Uprising! While Viridi and Hades's troops were locked in combat, Palutena and Pit seized the opportunity to inflitrate Viridi's Reset Bomb Depot. Fighting his way through numerous Underworld and Forces of Nature troops, Pit made his way to the core of the depot, the Reset Bomb Pod and destroy it, forever ending the threat of the Reset Bomb. But before the two can refocus their efforts on Hades, they must contend with Viridi's commanders. Will he succeed? Find out, now!**

"Again today I will go soaring through the sky! My enemies I'll dish 'em up in a stir-fry! Gracious goddess of light watches from up above! At dinnertime I always show the cook some love!" Pit sang as he ran out the door. Pit had a habit of making up songs on the spot, particularly when he was elated. Thankfully, he wasn't a bad singer. This was a special occasion. After all, Pit did destroy Viridi's Reset Bomb Depot, thus destroying her main weapon. So why shouldn't he be happy? He stopped Viridi! Now they could defeat Hades.

"_What are you singing?_" Palutena asked. Admittedly, she had grown used to Pit's songs. But it still made her laugh at times.

"Just this little victory song I made up." Pit replied. "We stopped Viridi! Now it's time to take down Hades!"

"_Not quite_." Palutena replied. "_We still have to contend with her forces. Specifically, Arlon the Serene_."

"Oh, is he one of her commanders?" Pit asked

"_Yes, and he has a weapon so lethal, it makes Reset Bombs look like firecrackers_." Palutena said. "_Arlon's base is close by. You see the moon?_" Pit looked around and caught sight of the New Moon. It's presence seemed to illuminate the ebony night sky. "Yeah, it's really pretty tonight." Pit said.

"_And what about that?_" Palutena asked.

"Like I said, they're pretty." Pit siad. That's when Pit rubbed his eyes and did a double take. Surely he was seeing things, because he found himself staring at two moons, one on the right and one on the left. "Wait a sec... There are _two_ moons?!" Pit asked.

"_They're like eyes watching you_." Palutena said.

"I wish they wouldn't." Pit replied. "I get stage fright." That's when the moon on the right began to do something strange. It began to split in half as four red lights appeared on its surface. "Whoa whoa whoa!" he exclaimed. "What kind of moon is that?!"

"That's _Arlon's Lunar Sanctum_." Palutena replied. "_Clearly, there's more to it than meets the eye_."

"Very cool!" Pit said. The fact of a base disguised as a moon was quite fascinating to Pit... at least until this happened. Without warning, the Lunar Sanctum fired a large blue laser at Pit. Thankfully, the angel managed to dodge in time. "And dangerous!" he said as he evaded another laser. "I take it back! It's not cool at all!" Forces of Nature troops in the form of Bladers, Nutskis, and Captain Flares. Pit immediately opened fire with his Orbitars. "_We're going in!_" Palutena said as she accelerated Pit's wings. Pit tried his best to avoid laser fire and the electric barriers that appeared while taking out the Forces of Nature troops. "I'm getting close!" he said.

"_I'll get you there_." Paltuena assured him. "_Just focus on avoiding fire_." And Pit tried hs best, taking out enemies as he did. As he moved closer towards the Lunar Sanctum, he was met with more laser fire. Pit couldn't help but be amazed, and a bit scared at the size of the base. It was certainly more imposing up close. "_Those lasers are quite the security system_." Palutena said.

"You're telling me!" Pit replied as he began flying on the outside of the Sanctum.

"_With all_ this _firepower, Arlon must be preparing for a massive attack_." Palutena mused.

"_Why on earth would I be attacking?_" An elderly voice said. "_I'm far too busy_... defending,_ my dear_."

"Huh?" Pit said as he looked around to find the location of the voice.

"_You must be Commander Arlon_." Palutena said.

"_Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Palutena_." Arlon replied. "_And yours too, young master Pit. I have heard tales of your prowess from our Mistress Viridi_."

"Well, that's... weirdly nice of her." Pit responded for lack of a better answer.

"_She said I mustn't let your attacks spread chaos here of all places_." Arlon continued. "_Before you cause a most unnatural harm, let us sit down for a chat_."

"_I might consider it if you withdrew your forces_..." Palutena began. "_And banded with us to face the Underworld Army together_."

"_Those decisions fall to the will of Mistress Viridi_." Arlon replied. "_Unfortunately, it's entirely out of my purview. I do hope you understand_."

"What's a purview?" Pit asked as he flew through the opening in the Sanctum, dodging more lasers and troops. " And why do you talk like that? Bad guys are supposed to be more like 'Graaahhh!' and 'I'm gonna _KEEL_ you!'"

"_The young master is skilled in impressions, I see_." Arlon chuckled. "_Would you care to perform more?_"

"Uh, that's all I got." Pit said. Unbeknownest to him, just as he was flying out, The Lunar Sanctum's laser was aiming directly at him! "_Pit! Watch out!_" Palutena shouted. "Huh? Aaaaaugh!" he shouted as he barely managed to dodge the powerful blue beam. "_That attack was vicious!_" Palutena said. "_I see a corridor we can enter through. Hold on!_" She then accelerated Pit's wings as he flew out of the line of fire and into a nearby corridor. There he was met by twp Lurchthorns and two Bladers as well as more security lasers. "It's not much safter in here!" he said.

"_As I mentioned earlier, the Lunar Sanctum is very heavily fortified_." Palutena said. "_But a victory here could help us contain all of Viridi's army_."

"I'll take care of it somehow!" Pit said as he did his best to avoid enemy fire. He managed to destroy the monsters, and its seemed that the laser fire was lessening. "Huh... Their defenses are thinning out." he said. "_I'm still detecting enemies, though_," Palutena replied. "_so be careful._" A few seconds later, cycloptic green blobs with scythes for hands appeared. "Augh!" Pit shouted as he opened fire with his Gemni Orbitars.

"_Let me introduce you to the Flages, the covert-ops specialists for Viridi's army_." Arlon said. "_Do they strike your fancy?_"

"Uh, no!" Pit replied as he flew into another hallway littered with more lasers.

"_Personally, I'm quite fond of them_." Arlon stated.

"Right, 'cause I care _so_ much." Pit said with obvious sarcasm.

"_Your concern is noted_." Arlon replied.

"_I was being sarcastic!" _Pit said. "I don't care at all!" Pit managed to dodge the lasers without too much difficulty. It seemed like Arlon had run out of cards to play. But before he could take a much needed sigh of relief. Arlon spoke again. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot."

"Forgot what?" Palutena asked.

"_To close the gates!_" he replied. "_And the gates... go... shut_." And instantly, the gates in front of Pit began closing. Pit took out his Capricorn Club and used it as a battering ram. "Yikes! Cut it out!" he shouted.

"_The Power of Flight is running out! We have to move!_" Palutena said. "_Find the breakable spots on the gates, and shoot through_." Pit continued through, charging through the doors with his Capricorn Club. He eventually made it to a large room filled with gears. "_There's an entry point through a duct up ahead_." Palutena said. "_It's tight, so watch out!_" Pit reached the duct and flew through it with an audible grunt. He made it out and landed in the Lunar Sanctum, but what he found was quite unexpected. The interior of the sanctum seemed to be a vast, futuristic city made entirely out of gold and bronze. The celing looked more lke a sunlit sky with many cloud-like trails crisscrossing it. "Talk about ritzy!" Pit said.

"_It's like a whole other world. A_ classier_ world_." Palutena said.

"_I'm deeply flattered by your gracious compliments_." Arlon replied.

"Who knew the Lunar Sanctum would be so nice?" Pit asked.

"I could get used to a place like this!" Palutena said.

"_Perhaps you could_." Arlon replied. "_But the Lunar Sanctum doesn't have room for any_...more _guests_."

"_Uh, it's not_ that _nice_." Palutena said.

I don't care how nice this place is! It won't stop me from taking you down!" Pit declared.

"_I understand_." Arlon replied. "_You have no regard for other people's property_." Pit made his way down and was confronted by two Nutskis and an Urgle. Pit dispatched them both and moved on, but that's when he was met with a strange sight. Pit saw two Nutskis flying at him, one of them. Pit immediately opened fire on them with his Centurion Orbitars, but they went right through the green one. The other one fired back, but Pit managed to dodge it and returned fire, killing it. He went further down and caught sight of a Pew Pew. He fired at it a few times, but like before his shots went through it. "Are my eyes playing on me?" Pit asked.

"_Arlon seems to have a penchant for visual trickery_." Palutena replied.

"_It's just a little something I whipped up to whet your appetite_." Arlon said.

"This is so annoying." Pit said. "Lady Palutena help me out here."

"_Deploying the Palutena Super Sensor_..." Palutena said.

"I didn't know you had a super sensor!" Pit replied.

"_Hee hee. I don't_." Palutena giggled. "_You know I like to make stuff up_."

"I can't believe you're messing with me at a time like this!" Pit complained.

"Don't fret. You can use the green arrows to guide your way." Palutena assured him. Pit looked on the ground to find a green arrow pointing at a wall. Pit decided to take a chance and ran right through it. He ran straight through another door into a larger part of the Sanctum. This one had a large meteorite that seemed to stand on a pillar of what looked to be sand. The sand seemed .

"_Now, how did you manage to place those here?_" Arlon asked. "_Ooh, it seems you've infiltrated the Lunar Sanctum's control core, Palutena. That leaves me_ relatively defenseless. I'd best rectify _that posthaste. If you'll excuse me, I must go gird my loins for your arrival_."

"TMI! Nobody wants to hear about your loins!" Pit said. Before he could move on further. He was attacked by a Mudrone and a Nutski. He defeated them both and moved on, traversing the river of sand and taking great care to avoid the mines that littered it. He made it to the door and waliked through it to a larger area with a grind rail above an abyss. Pit hopped on the grind rail and moved onward, taking out Forces of Nature troops and hitting switches to keep the grind rail going. He landed on a platform and was faced by a Mudrone, a Skreetle, a Dibble Dop, and a Pew Pew. He defeated them all and was confronted by a Mahva and three Nutskis. He defeated them as well and another grind rail appeared. Pit hopped on and traversed it. Just as he did, a Lurchthorn slowly moved past him. Pit took out his Palutena Blade and bisected it as it passed by him.

Pit hopped off the grind rail and went into a room inhabited by a Toxicap, an Urgle, two Bumpety Bombs, and two Pew Pews. He managed to slay them all, albeit with some difficulty and went into a short hallway with a mirror at the end. It looked like there was no way out. "Now what do I do?" he asked.

"_Look carefully at the mirror's image_." Palutena replied. "_You'll notice some inconsistency_." Pit walked up to the mirror and saw a pathway to his right in the reflection. He went to the right and found himself in a room with two green button on the floor. However, when he looked in the mirror, he saw three green buttons. Thinking that this is another of Arlon's tricks, Pit first stepped on the two visible green switches, then looked at the image in the mirror to help press the invisible switch. That unlocked the door and he went into another room with gaps in between the path. But a quick glance at the mirror revealed otherwise.

Pit followed the pathway, stepping on the switch to open the door. He made it through the doo and was confronted by none other than Dark Pit, who was casually leaning against a large blue orb in the center of the room. "Pittoo!" Pit called out, taking out his Palutena Bow and seperating it into two blades

"Seriously, that is the last time I wanna hear 'Pittoo'!" Dark Pit said as he dropped into a fighting stance and charged at Pit, Pit blocked with blades and gave his dark counterpart a kick to the chest. The kick sent Dark Pit back and he fired a charged shot in retaliation. Pit dodged and attacked in kind. His shot hit the orb in the center of the room and it fired a blast of energy. Pit dodged the inital blast but was knocked away by the explosion.

"_Arlon, did you call Pittoo here?_" Palutena asked as the two angels continued their brawl.

"_I most certainly did_." Arlon replied.

"_He's not usually one to follow orders_." Palutena mused. "_How did you persuade him?_"

"_It was quite simple actually_." Arlon began. "_Just the mention of young master Pit's presence... was enough to send his twin running here_."

"_Pittoo just isn't happy unless he's fighting someone_." Palutena said with a sigh.

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Dark Pit said, only to get a kick from Pit in response. "You stay out of this!" he said.

"Make me!" Dark Pit shouted as he fired several shots from his Silver Bow. Pit dodged them all and tried to fire off some shots in return, but the dark angel was too quick. He dodged them all and landed a punch in Pit's face. Pit recovered and grabbed his arm and threw him against the blue orb. "_Quickly Pit, destroy the Lunar Sanctum's control center!_" Palutena said.

"I'm trying!" Pit protested. "But Pittoo's not making it easy!" Just as he said this, Dark Pit charged at him and nearly landed a slash on his chest. Pit jumped over him and landed in front of the control center. "I said don't call me Pittoo!" he snarled. That gave Pit an idea. "You know, Pittoo." he began. "For someone so independent, Arlon seems to have you on a pretty tight leash."

"Shut up!" Dark Pit snapped.

"Oh, did I struck a nerve?" Pit mockingly asked. "Well, if you don't like Pittoo, how about... Pittooey, Pittang, Pittong, Pittooahnialaltion, Pitterio, Pittazz, Pittonian, Pittonium, Pittotalitarian... I can keep this up all night." Each name caused Dark Pit's anger to steadly rise until finally, "I... said... Shut... the fuck... _**UP!**_" he roared as he pulled out his Doom Cannon and fired a charged shot. Pit dodged it and the shot hit the control center, causing it to fire off multiple shots. Dark Pit tried to dodge them all, but the explosion from one of them knocked him away. Pit quickly took out his Taurus Arm and knocked him into the Control Center, making a big hole in it and electrocuting him severely. The control center exploded and sent the dark angel flying once again. Pit took out his Capricorn Club and swatted him away like a batter at a baseball game, sending him into a wall. "The Control Center is toast! Now what, fool!" Pit said.

Dark Pit slowly pulled himself back to his feet, staggering a bit. "Just wait till next time!" he said through gritted teeth as he teleported out. With Dark Pit gone and the Control Center destroyed, Pit forged ahead into an elevator. The elevator took him outside in front of four paths. Or at least, he thought he was outside. "Where are we?" he asked. Pit then took a few steps foward only for a meteor to nearly hit him. "Whoa!"

"_It's a bit daunting, I agree_." Palutena said. Pit made his way across, taking care to avoid the falling meteors. But just as he got halfway across, he heard Palutena sneeze, seemingly causing an incoming meteor to change direction and nearly hit him. "Are you trying to get me smooshed?" he asked.

"_Huh? That wasn't _my_ doing_." Palutena said.

"_Goodness. So sorry_." Arlon said. "_I must have lost myself in the golden melody of her sneeze_."

"That's why you should cover your sneezes." Pit said.

"_I would never!_" Palutena replied. "_A strong sneeze is the sign of a strong spirit!_" Pit made it across and went through the door to find himself on a rocky landscape that made him feel like he was an astronaut on the moon. He saw an Exo Tank nearby. "This is so cool!" Pit said. "It's like the surface of the moon."

"_Why was the Lunar Sanctum built anyway?_" Palutena asked.

"_That information is highly confidential_." Arlon replied.

"_That only makes me_ more _curious_." Palutena said.

"_Curious or not, I took an oath of silence, and I intend to honor it!_" Arlon replied with a more annoyed tone.

"_Now, now, no need to get all bent out of shape_." Palutena said.

"After all, your name _is_ 'Arlon the Serene'." Pit added.

"_I'm well aware of my name!_" Arlon said. He then took a calming breath. "_But back to the topic at hand. I cannot tell you the reasons_ why _this sanctum was built. But I_ can _say that it runs on my powers. Without me, it's just a husk, an empty shell, an orbiting house of cards_."

"Ooh, that sounds fancy." Pit said.

"_I don't think we're getting the whole story here_..." Palutena mused.

"_You are in no position to demand explanations_." Arlon replied. "_I am beholden only to Mistress Viridi, and you two are thorns in her side_."

"_You've made your allegiances quite clear_." Palutena said.

"Then enough talk!" Pit said. "Let's get back to fighting!" Pit hopped in the Exo Tank and drove through the area, plowing his way through a Mudrone. He drove through the door to another area. This one was littered with small ports that fired lasers when Pit drove over them. He took extra care to avoid those and drove through the door. He hopped out of the Exo Tank and jumped down the ledge and was met by a Megonta and three Zerts. He defeated them all and was confronted by a Lethinum and a small-looking plant creature. Pit killed the Lenthinum to avoid dealing with its laser attack and shot the strange creature. That proved to be a fatal mistake as it changed into a bloated, grotesque monster. The monster immediately charged at Pit, who threw a Smart Bomb in response. The bomb exploded and killed it instantly.

He then used a nearby jump pad to get on a ledge and landed in a Crescent Moon shaped hot spring. After healing himself a bit, he dropped into a nearby port and fell on a pillar of sand. He jumped out and made his way down the stairs and to a door. He walked through and was attacked by two Meebas. He defeated them both and stepped on the large U-shaped object in the room and was lifted up. "So this is an elevator?" Pit asked.

"_That seems to be the case_." Palutena said. Pit looked out the window and saw two Lurchthorns flying by. Pit, being the child he is, gave a rasberry in response. The elevator stopped halfway by another oddly shaped elevator, the two interlocking in place. Pit got on the other elevator and was lifted up into the next room. He walked down the stairs and was attacked by a Nutski, a Lethinium, and a Skreetle. He defeated them all and walked out the door into a rotating platform with three mines and two Clobblers. "_Don't just shoot wildly, Pit_." Palutena said. "_You do not want to get those Clobblers mad. Try luring each one into a mine_."

"Good idea." Pit said. He followed her advice and shot one Clobbler to provoke it, then lured the lumbering beast to a mine, killing it. He repeated the same method with the other one. "_Pit's lucky to have such an excellent guide_." Arlon said. "_Though we're on opposing sides, I must commend your work, Palutena_."

"_Thanks_." Palutena replied. "_It's just part of my job. Besides, Pit's the one doing all the heavy lifting. Which is especially impressive for someone so small_."

"Ha, ha." Pit said flatly. He walked out the door and made his way down a path where he was saw a Toxicap, a Megonta, and a Lurchthorn. He defeated them all with ease and walked through the door. He then saw another door straight ahead. This door was large and gold with four blue orbs decorating it. "_Arlon's quarters are directly ahead_." Palutena said. "_Good luck._" Pit walked through the door and found himself on a golden platform with elaborate designs surrounded by many gem-like lamps on elaborate gold posts. The ceiling resembled a starry sky.

A spotlight shined down on a tall, lanky, elderly-looking being with violet skin and gray hair that ended in three points that faced upward, and a mustache that was quite long. He wore very formal yet somewhat futuristic-looking attire that resembled a black suit with golden clasps and a golden broach below his neck. He also wore elaborate white gloves that released purple flames, fancy pointy shoes and a gold colored monocle on his left eye. His overall appearance resembled that of a butler. "Arlon!" Pit said.

"Welcome." Arlon replied as he took a low bow. "Please make yourself comfortable. It is my great honor to represent Mistress Viridi and the Forces of Nature."

"And it's _my_ great honor to represent Lady Palutena and the Centurion Army." Pit replied as he drew his Palutena Bow. "The Forces of Justice!" Pit then charged at Arlon with his Blade. Arlon simply outstretched his hand, which glowed with a dark purple aura. Pit suddenly felt very heavy until he could barely move. "What's... happening?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps I should have mentioned." Arlon began. "I control everything in the Lunar Sanctum, particularly the gravity within. I am a lunar deity after all. Now then, going up!" He raised his hand and Pit was sent flying to the celing. Arlon moved his hand again and Pit was sent flying toward a wall. Arlon kept up the treatment, knocking him around like a ragdoll. He then let Pit drop to the ground only for him to fire an energy orb at him. Pit got to his feet and fired several shots from his Palutena Blade. Arlon threw up a shield to defend himself only for the angel to leap into the air and slash at him. Arlon let out a pained grunt as purple energy formed around his left hand in the shape of a blade. He slashed away at Pit, but the angel dodged and delevered a sweeping kick that knocked the elderly god of balance. He followed up with a stab but Arlon moved out of the way.

"Impressive." Arlon said. "But how well can you fight during a lunar eclipse?" Arlon then waved his hand as black shadows emerged from it, eventually shrouding the whole room. "I can't see!" Pit said as he began shooting wildly in all directions. "_Focus, Pit_." Palutena said. "_Pay attention to where Arlon's attacks are coming from. Once he attacks, shoot in that direction_." Arlon, hiding in the shadows, took out a crescent moon- shaped chakram and tossed it at Pit. Pit dodged it and returned fire, but Arlon had moved away and fired five dart-like energy attacks. Pit then got an idea and used his Celestial Firework to light up the room. This dispelled the darkness and revealed Arlon's location perfectly. Pit fired several shots at Arlon, all of them hitting their mark. Arlon took out three more chakrams and tossed them at Pit. Pit knocked them away and slashed at Arlon. Arlon gave a pained grunt and shot another energy orb at Pit that knocked him back.

"Very impressive, young master Pit." Arlon complimented. "But now it's time to reveal the true extent of my power!" A green aura surrounded Arlon as he put his hands together. He then fired a large blue beam at Pit. Pit dodged and returned fire, but Arlon cartwheeled out of the way. He then began to... tap dance? He started to dance and as he did, small blue orbs began rolling on the floor. Pit did his best to dodge them and fired more shots from his bow. Arlon raised a barrier in front of him and tossed three more chakrams at Pit. Pit leaped to the side to avoid them. A purple aura surrounded Arlon as several blue orbs appeared around him. He then fired several arrows of light. Pit tried his best to avoid them, but one hit him dead in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Arlon charged his energy beam attack and fired, but Pit quickly countered with his Mega Laser power.

The two beams locked for a while, but the Mega Laser eventually overpowered Arlon's beam and sent him flying to the wall. Pit took the opportunity to fire a charged shot. This proved to be the fatal blow. "Blast!" came Arlon's pained reply. He fell to his knees and began to dissolve into purple particles. "Well played, young one." he said as he faded away.

"Whew! Now I can finally catch my breath!" Pit said. But before he could do just that, The Sanctum began rumbling as pieces of the celing began to fall. "Oh, come on!" Pit complained.

"_The Lunar Sanctum's falling apart!_" Palutena said. "_Time to get you out of there!_" She activated the Power of Flight just as Pit summoned his Drill Arm. He flew out of the Lunar Sanctum as it fell to pieces. "Lunar Sanctum defused!" Pit said victoriously. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kind of green glowing object breaking out of the sanctum as well. It flew past Pit with incredible speed. "_But what's that_ thing _breaking free?_" Palutena asked.

"Oh, I'm sure its nothing." Pit said.

"_I'm not so sure_." Palutena said. "_But Viridi's forces are still a threat so let's keep the heat on them_." She then extracted him back to the temple.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, At Viridi's sanctuary.**_

_**ARLON! YOU IDIOT!**_" Viridi shouted. Viridi managed to revive Arlon, but was none to pleased to learn that the Lunar Sanctum was destroyed. Actually, to say she was displeased wouldn't be an understatement, it would be a compliment. She was downright pissed. Viridi and Arlon were in her room, with Arlon on bended knee as Viridi furiously paced the floor. "How could you let the Lunar Sanctum be destroyed?! You didn't think that maybe, i dunno, _telling_ them why the Sancutm was built would get them to back off?!"

"But milady, I was sworn to secrecy. You know that." Arlon calmly protested. "I took an oath of si-"

"Oh, screw your oath of silence!" Viridi cut him off. She gave an expasperated groan and sat on her desk, clutching her head. "Can this _possibly_ get any _worse?!_"That's when a Blader flew in with a note. Viridi read the note and gave another exasperated groan. "And now the Underworld forces are attacking. Oh, what joy." She then pointed to the Blader. "Alert Commander Phosphora. Tell her to ready her troops." The Blader gave a salute and flew away. She then turned to Arlon. "Arlon, how fast can the Lunar Sanctum be repaired?"

"Well, now that I've been reconstituted. If I start right away, I should have it repaired in a few weeks, a month at the most." Arlon replied as he got to his feet.

"Well see to it." Viridi said. "Meanwhile, send the Flages. Tell them to scour the earth. Leave no stone unturned. Do whatever they have to do, but ind Prisoner C! If it's not contained, then no one's safe."

* * *

**Just who is Prisoner C? And what threat does he hold for the earth? And who is Commander Phosphora? All this and more will be revealed on the next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**

**Next Chapter Preview: Lightning Battle. On the next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_ Pit once again finds himself smack dab in the middle of a battle between the Underworld and the Forces of Nature. On the Underworld side, Hades has thrown Thanatos back into play. And leading the Forces of Nature is the beautiful but deadly Commander Phosphora. Will Pit be able to defeat both commanders? Find out on the electrifying next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**

**OOC: Sorry if these chapters seem to be coming at a snail's pace. It's just that these chapters are longer than I previously anticipated and things come up at home. But don't worry, I fully intend to finish this story. Once I start a story, I don't stop till it's finished.**


	15. Chapter 14: Lightning Battle

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Pit and Palutena waged an assault on the Lunar Sanctum, a moon-based temple controlled by Arlon the Serene, one of Viridi's commanders. Fighting his way through various traps and illusions, even the unexpected appearance of Dark Pit, Pit managed to defeat Arlon and destroy the Lunar Sanctum. Unbeknownst to Pit however, in doing so he had freed a dangerous creature. But now the angel must focus on containing the rest of Viridi's army.**

**OOC: I had a lot of fun with Phosphora and Pit's fight.**

"Moving out!" Pit said as he ran out the door. But just as he opened the door, a laser shot through. Luckily, Pit managed to dodge in time. He flew out the now damaed and flaming door and into a stormy, tornado-ridden sky filled with Underworld and Forces of Nature troops. "Is the door busted?" Pit asked.

"_The door is the least of our concerns_." Palutena replied. "_Hades has rejoined the fray_."

"Oh no!" Pit said.

"_Oh_ yes." Palutena replied. "_Now we have both his_ and _Viridi's forces wreaking havoc!_" Pit flew through the air, avoiding the tornadoes that littered the sky and taking out enemies. Luckily for him they seemed more concerned with fighting each other than fighting him. Though some did attack him. "_The Underworld Army and Forces of Nature are out for blood-each other's_ and _yours_." Palutena said. "_On the Underworld side, Hades has put Thanatos back into play as commander_."

"Thanatos?! He's still alive?!" Pit asked.

"_Apparently. And leading the Forces of Nature is Phosphora_." she said.

"Phosphora?" Pit asked. But before the two of them could continue their conversation. Pit looked to see two Underworld Syrens being killed by what appeared to be a moving bolt of lightning. The bolt then moved towards Pit, killing two Monoeyes in the process. That's when Pit saw that the lightning bolt was actually a young adolescent girl. By her appearance, she was possibly either 16 or 17. She was a beautiful young woman with blond crescent-shaped hair with red-colored tips and purple eyes. She wore rather revealing clothing that consisted of a pair of white shorts and a small black top covered with two white sashes. She also wore purple boots and arm covers that were covered in black bandages and she had a vine plant around her leg which went up her shorts and around her body and ended at her arms which gave them the appearance of bracelets. "Yes? You called?" She asked.

"So you're commanding the Forces of Nature?" Pit asked. But before either of them could respond, another voice came. "We're in the middle of something here! Can this wait?!" Pit looked behind him to see Thanatos charging straight at Phosphora, riding a glowing dragon-shaped aura. Pit screamed and moved out of the way as Thanatos chased Phosphora through the sky. All Pit could do was watch as the two commanders were locked in combat. He was soon joined by Nutskis, Monoeyes, and a Wave Angler. "So Thanatos was ressurected as... a glowworm?" he asked.

"_I think the look he's going for is more glow dragon_." Palutena said. Just then, Phosphora and Thanatos charged together, their collision creating a shockwave that knocked him and the monsters back. Pit struggled to right himself as Phosphora and Thanatos retreated beneath the clouds. "Wow, this is crazy!" Pit said.

"_It's the Underworld versus Nature, their commanders locked in fierce battle_..." Palutena said. "_I'm ready to pull you out of there if things get out of control_." Pit flew beneath the clouds and began to pursue the two combatants, taking out enemies as he did. "I can't believe Thanatos is still alive." Pit said as he neared a canyon inhabitated by a trio of Lethinums. "_And quite perky, from the looks of things_." Palutena replied.

"Well, that's only fair." Pit said. "I've been finished off a few times myself."

"_Hmm... Thanatos, Pandora, Hewdraw... Hades revived them all from the old days_." Palutena said. "_It must have taken some work to bring them back_."

"But this is Thanatos's third time around!" Pit said.

"_Thanatos is a bit of a... _special_ case_." Hades chimed in.

"You're telling me." Pit said as Phosphora and Thanatos continued their duel. During which, the two crashed together into a large boulder, breaking it into pieces. "_He_ is_ the god of death, after all_." Hades continued. "_So he gets perks like evil powers and health insurance. And free soda_."

"_Resurrected from the dead-that's some health insurance!_" Palutena said. During the conversation, Pit lost track of Thanatos and Phosphora. He looked around frantically only to find the God of Death charging behind him. "Whoa!" Pit shouted as he got out of the way. "Gotta admit, he's fast! Must be all that free soda."

"_Lovely little Phosphora's no slouch in the fighting department either_." Hades replied.

"_Ugh, will you stop trying to butter up all the ladies? It's gross_." Palutena said.

"_There's nothing wrong with compliments_." Viridi chimed in.

"Viridi!" Pit shouted. "Where did you come from?"

"_But Commander Phosphora must also be respected for her power!_" she continued.

"_Anyway, Pit, just keep after Phosphora and Thanatos_." Palutena advised. "_It's great how they're wearing each other out like this. I mean, who knows? You may have to fight them both at the same time_."

"_Well, we all know how _that_ would end_." Viridi said.

"_Almost makes you take pity on Pitty_." Hades replied. Pit continued to pursue the dueling commanders, their chase extending through an opening in the clouds and back into a tornado-ridden sky. "_Thannypoo, are you OK?_" Hades asked.

"Oh, yes! I'm just peachy!" Came Thanatos's harried reply.

"_He doesn't seem peachy_..." Palutena said.

"_That's because Phosphora combines the depeachifying power and speed of lightning!_" Viridi replied. Pit simply watched as the Phosphora and Thanatos continued their duel. The two commanders seemed evenly matched until Phosphora charged clean through Thanatos. "Finishing blow!" Phosphora shouted. "Aaah! Farewell cryyyyyyy!" Thanatos said as his dragon aura disappeared and he fell to the ground. Phosphora, seeing Pit watching her, blew a kiss at him with a small wink before departing. "Wow..." Pit said as he stared into space a bit before finally snapping out of it.

"_Bravo! Bra_vo!" Viridi said.

"_Oh me oh my. Now whatever shall I do?_" Hades asked with obvious sarcasm.

"She really brought the thunder!" Pit said.

"_I_ said _lightning, Pit!_" Viridi replied. "_Sheesh, get it right!_"

"_Whatever_." Hades said. "_We'll just keep fighting without someone out there giving orders_."

"_Are you saying it makes no difference whether your troops have a leader?_" Palutena asked.

"_They're all idiots_." Hades replied. "_Seriously. I don't even know if any of them have actual brains_." Pit flew through the sky, mainly taking out Forces of Nature troops as it seemed the Underworld Army retreated, but he seemed to have lost track of Phosphora. "Where's Phosphora?" Pit asked.

"_She must be recharging after her battle with Thanatos_." Palutena replied. "_Now's your chance. Let's hit her before she fully recovers_."

"Good idea!" Pit said.

"_We may not have the best dental plan, but justice is on our side!_" Palutena proclaimed.

"Now it's _our_ turn to bring the thunder!" Pit declared as he flew through the area. He eventually reached an almost literall wall of clouds. "_Phosphora is in the middle of those clouds_." Palutena said.

"_Persistant, aren't we?!_" Phosphora asked. At that moment, the cloud wall began firing small bursts of wind. Pit did his best to dodge them all, but one hit him dead center, dizzying him a bit. "_I'm going to open a path through these storm_ _clouds_." Palutena said. "_Stay sharp!_" Immediately, an opening appeared through the clouds and Pit flew in. Once in, he was attacked by lightning bolts and more Forces of Nature troops. Pit tried his best to avoid the hazards. "This is intense!" he said.

"_Hold on as best you can. Phosphora is definitely up this way_." Palutena said.

"_Nope. There's nobody here_." Phosphora said.

"We can totally hear you!" Pit said as he narrowly dodged a lightning bolt. He perservered as best he could, attacking any Forces of Nature troops in his path. He finally neared the end of the path. "_Just about there_." Palutena said. "_Three... two... one... You're out!_" Pit flew out of the clouds and into the epicenter of the storm. That's where he saw a floating, technological-looking building. It glowed blue and surged with electricity. "_This is the Thunder Cloud Temple_." Palutena said. "_It's been abandoned since ancient times_."

"_Here already?_" Phosphora asked. "_I didn't even have a chance to take a shower!_"

"Too bad!" Pit replied as he flew near the temple. That's when it began charging with energy before firing a blast of electricity at Pit, who narrowly dodged the powerful beam. "I guess she's not completely spent after her battle with Thanatos." Palutena said.

"_It's just one fight after another_." Phosphora complained. "_Today is just not my day. The fortune Mistress Viridi read me didn't paint a very good picture either_."

"Wait... Viridi reads fortunes?" Pit asked.

"_I wonder what other services she offers_." Palutena said.

"Anyway, it's on!" Pit said.

"_Looking foward to it!_" Phosphora said. "_I'll even roll out the red carpet for you_."

"_Sending you in!_" Palutena said. Pit flew to avoid the beam and managed to land in the temple without much difficulty. The inside of the temple glowed with blue electricity. "_It looks like Phosphora is powering this place_." Palutena said. "_You'll need to cut off the supply. Some of the pillars and walls are electrified. Don't get zapped!_" Pit walked up the steps and the area had six electrified pillars. He was then attacked by two Nutskis. Pit dodged their shots, but ran right into a pillar, electrocuting him. "_Remember what I said about not getting zapped?_" Palutena asked.

"It wasn't my fault!" Pit protested. He took out his tiger claws and shot back, killing them both. He went further up and turned to the right, only to be nearly hit by a Pew Pew's cannon blast. Pit took out the Pew Pew and walked up the stairs. From here, the path was lined with electrified walls. Pit carefully navigated the pathway, trying his best not to touch the electrified walls. He was then attacked by a Jitterthug. Pit destroyed the monster and went through the door into an elevator. The edges of it brimmed with electricity. "This chapter would be way easier if my sandals were rubber." he said.

"_It's not my fault you conduct electricity so well_." Phosphora giggled.

"We'll see whose laughing when I shut the power down!" Pit retorted. The elevator eventually stopped and Pit went through the door. There, he was confronted by Trynamites, a Nutski, and two Zerts. At the center of the room was a small, diamond-shaped object surrounded by a small field of electricity. "What's that thing?" Pit asked.

"_I think that's a power supply to some of the areas in this temple_." Palutena replied. "_Destroying it will probably make life easier for you_." Pit took out all the monsters then opened fire on the object, finally destroying it. "Wooohooo!" Pit cheered as the barrier on the door disappeared. "_That seemed to cut some of the power, so you can move forward now_." Paltuena said.

"_Whatever. It's no skin off my back_." Phosphora said. Pit ran through the door and into the next room. That's when a train car slowly moved in. "Is that a train car?" Pit asked.

"_There's something inside of it_." Palutena said. "_Break it open and I'll move its contents near the exit for you to grab_." Pit did as advised and destroyed the car with a shot from his cannon. Inside was a Drink of the Gods. Pit happily drank it and was restored to full health.

"_Sure. Go right on ahead_." Phosphora said.

"Aren't you going to put up a fight?" Pit asked.

"_What do _I_ care? This isn't _my_ place_." Phosphora replied.

"_So you're basically squatting in this abandoned temple. Dignified_." Palutena said.

"_Not squatting! Repurposing!_" Phosphora said. "_Besides, I'll be out of here before too long._"

"Why's that?" Pit asked.

"_Because, the free spirited Phosphora isn't one to put down roots_." Viridi chimed in. "_Like a hobo. Anyway, I've been busy with the Underworld Army so I asked her to defeat you_."

"I'd like to see her try!" Pit said.

"_Ooh, what bluster! What bravado! I guess I can't back down now_." Phosphora said. "_I'll be at the center of the temple. Come and get me_."

"Oh, I will!" Pit said as he ran through the door. He went down the path and was attacked by a Cacaw, a Jitterthug, and two Flages. He defeated them all and went on, this time finding himself on a spiraling, translucent pathway. He walked along the path, knocking away any Bumpety Bombs with his Capricorn Club. Around halfway up the path, Palutena spoke. "_Phosphora is busy recharging at the temple's center_."

"Got it." Pit replied.

"You'll need to move fast and get to her before she's done." Palutena said.

"Absolutely, Lady Palutena!"

"_Absolutely, Lady Palutena!_" Phosphora mockingly said. "_You're such a yes-man, Pit. Good thing you're so cute_." That statement made Pit pause a bit, a blush spread across his face. No one other than Lady Palutena had called him cute before. "You're...you're not just making fun of me now, are you?"

"_Aw, you're turning red! That's even cuter!_" Phosphora cooed.

"_He embarrasses easily. Don't mind him_." Palutena said.

"_Don't give it a second thought... ma'am_." Phosphora chuckled.

"Uh-oh..." Pit muttered to himself. Palutena was usually a happy-go-lucky goddess, but the best way to enrage her was to call her ma'am. It gave the impression that she was old. Which was odd because as a goddess, she _was_ old. "_Did you just call me 'ma'am'?_" Palutena asked with anger in her tone. "_Are you trying to start something?_"

"_You're right, I'm sorry_." Phosphora replied with mock remorse. "_You're_ much _too young to be called ma'am_."

"_You know as well as I do the lifespan of gods_." Palutena said. "_And how about _you?_ What's _you're_ age?_"

"_I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!_" the two said in unison. Pit meanwhile simply listened in to the odd arguement between the two, staying silent for a few moments before he finally spoke. "For the record... I don't mind being called 'sir'."

"_Yes, well, as much as I'd like to continue this delightful chat, I have things to do_." Phosphora replied.

"_I know it's difficult when she's flirting with you, but remember that she's the_ enemy." Palutena said.

"Right." Pit replied with mild sadness. He made it up the path and went through the door, landing on a grind rail. He rode the rail into a room with a large air vent in the center. "_There seems to be an air vent in that platform_." Palutena said. "_Turn on the air to help you up. To get a current started, move the spheres to the correct place._" Pit followed Palutena's instructions and moved the three spheres in their correct positions. He then rode the current up into another room. "Neat! I can go higher depending on the strength of the air current!" Pit said.

"_Brains_ and _brawn. He's the whole package_." Phosphora said. Pit jumped down to the second floor and was confronted by two Lethiniums, a Dibble Dop, and a Clobber. Pit defeated them all and forged ahead. The reoom he found himself in had a moving electric current. Pit managed to dodge it without harm. "_Pay attention to the movement of those electric currents_." Palutena said.

"_I think it's probably fine to touch them_." Phosphora said. "_Seriously, they're perfectly safe_." Pit ignored her and carefully made his way up the stairs, avoiding the moving electric currents. He went through the door and into a room with another platform in the center. Seeing another of the temple's power sources, Pit opened fire on it with his Tiger Claws and destroyed it. The platform then opened. "_You can hop on in_." Palutena said. "_I've set up a grind rail for you to use_." Pit hopped into the platform and landed straight on the grind rail. "Wow wow woooow!" he shouted.

"_Grind rails, huh? Well, la di da!_" Phosphora dismissively said. "Wish we had the budget for grind rails." Pit rode the rail to the bottom of the temple, landing on the large spiral underneath. "_This way goes to the center of the temple_." Palutena said. "_Watch out, though-the route looks pretty treacherous_." Before Pit could do anything, he was attacked by a rolling Megonta. Pit merely dodged to the side and let the giant insect roll to its demise. "If that was trecherous, then this should be a cakewalk!" Pit said as he hiked further up the path. But as he walked up, the ground suddenly gave way below him. Pit ran up as the ground fell into the sky below. "OK, _that's_ treacherous." he said. He shook it off and continued up the path, using jump pads to get across gaps. Eventually he reached a door and ran inside. Using the jump pad in the center of the room, he got to the second floor. "_Phosphora is just ahead_." Palutena said.

"_Here so soon?_" Phosphora asked. Pit ran through the door and into the next room. Here there was a large platform in the center. Floating pieces of stone flew around the room. Pit jumped onto the platform and saw Phosphora lazily levitating in the air. She had multiple cuts on her body, wounds from her fight with Thanatos that hadn't fully healed. "Hello there!" she greeted. Pit paused a bit. "My skin feels all tingly." he said. The air in here is electrified." Phosphora responded. "It's great for the complexion, dontcha know." Pit then pulled out his Tiger Claws. "Attention, Pet of Viridi! You'd better sharpen your claws!" Pit shouted. "I am the servant of Palutena, goddess of light and-Ow! OWWW!" Before he could finish the rest of his rally cry, Pit was zapped by Phosphora's lightning blast. Phosphora then blew her finger like it was a gun.

"Enough blabbity blab. Now let's get to the main act!" she said as she got into a fighting pose, her body surging with electricity as she charged towards Pit to deliver a punch. Pit dodged the incoming fist, but was too slow to avoid the following kick. The kick was strong enough to send him to the edge of the platform. Pit charged back and tried to slash at her with his Tiger Claws, but Phosphora teleported away at the last second, causing Pit to look around frantically. "Wha-? Where'd she-" His thoughts were interrupted by a hard elbow to the face by Phosphora. The lightning warrior then followed up with an uppercut. Pit tried to counterattack, but Phosphora grabbed his arm and threw him.

"_Gotta admit_," Pit thought to himself. "_She's fast. Well, two can play at this game_." Pit swapped out his Tiger Claws for his Brawler Claws and activated his Super Speed power just as Phosphora charged at him again, her fist surging with electricity. With great relfexes, Pit caught her fist with his hand. "Oh, did I forget to mention that the Brawler Claws are made of rubber and _don't_ conduct electricity? Maybe I should've mentioned that." Pit then punched Phosphora in the face with his free hand. Phosphora quickly recovered and retaliated with a kick, but Pit ducked and attacked with a sweeping kick that temporarliy knocked Phosphora off balance. Phosphora quickly grabbed Pit's head between her legs and threw him near the edge of the platform. As Pit tried to recover, Phosphora leaped into the air and tried to land a punch. Pit rolled out of the way and Phosphora hit the platform, causing a small fist-shaped crater. She merely rose to her feet and cracked her knuckles. Pit wasted no time and sprang to his feet, unleashing a flurry of punches at Phosphora to put her on the defensive. Matching Pit blow for blow, Phosphora blocked each attack. The two seemed evenly matched until Phosphora unleashed a blast of electricity, knocking him to the ground.

Phosphora then pulled out a staff with a trident on each end. The staff then became charged with electricity. A staff, huh?" Pit asked.

"Yep. Made it myself. I may be blonde, but I'm far from dumb." Phosphora said. Pit pulled out his Palutena Bow and charged at Phosphora. Phosphora blocked with her staff then swung at Pit. Pit ducked and tried to slash at Phosphora, but the lightning flash teleported away and seperated them into two smaller staffs before jabbing them at Pit. Pit let out a scream as the pain spider-webbed through his body. Pit slashed at Phosphora with one of his blades, but the lightning warrior backflipped and fired a crescent shaped wave of electricity from her staff. Pit moved away and fired a charged shot, only for Phosphora to raise an electrical barrier to deflect it. Phosphora then created a large orb of purple electricity and fired it at Pit. Pit narrowly dodged in time.

As the fight between the two warriors raged on. Palutena, Viridi, and Hades looked on in amazement. "_Just look at them go!_" Viridi said.

"_And I thought the fighting outside was exciting!_" Hades said. "_But it seems the_ real _action is in here!_"

"_Pit doesn't stand a chance!_" Viridi proudly proclaimed.

"_Glad you're enjoying the show, oh divine peanut gallery_." Palutena replied.

"_I_, for one, am honored to have you in the audience." Phopshora said. This however left her open to a kick in the back from Pit. "Who's the yes-man now? Kissing up to the management won't help you Phosphora!" Phosphora retaliated with rapid blasts of elecricity, but Pit dodged them all with his Super Speed power and closed in to slash at Phopshora's midsection with his blades. Phosphora let out a shout of pain before kicking Pit away. "What's wrong, Phosphora? Not used to losing?" Pit taunted.

Phosphora merely chuckled in response. "I'll admit, Pit. You're good. But here's a little probverb: The tide of battle can change as swift as the weather." Pit then looked up to see what appeared to be a storm cloud forming above the arena. "Hey," Pit said. "That's Lady Palutena's Power of Malestorm trick. Copycat!" Phosphora said nothing but simply raised a finger to the sky. Seconds later, a lightning bolt crashed down on her. "Did she just... kill herself?" Pit said to himself. "Wait. No, it's never that easy." Pit watched as the smoke cleared, but what he saw next made him back away a bit. Phosphora, for the most part, was mostly unharmed. But her skin was now glowing blue. Her eyes were completely purple and had black lightning marks near the edge. "Charging complete!" she said, her voice now carrying an electronic echo to it. "Now what do you say we go on to round two?" Before Pit could answer, Phosphora moved with even more lightning speed and landed a hard punch in Pit's face, sending him flying back. Pit tried to recover, only for Phosphora to deliver a quick kick to the back of his head. Pit fired off several arrows from his bow, but Phopshora defected them with another electrical barrier.

Phosphora then created an orb of yellow lightning. She then sepreated it into several orbs that ricocheted off the posts around the arena. Pit tried his best to avoid them, but Phosphora began summoning lightning from the sky, making the process difficult. "That's all you've got?" Pit asked.

"Not even close!" Phosphora said. She then got into a meditative stance, putting her hands together with her thumb, index, and pinky fingers touching. She then seperated her hands, releasing a huge blast of wind that knocked Pit into the air. Seconds later, a thunderbolt hit Pit full force. Before Pit could fall to the ground, Phosphora leaped up do deliver a knee to his stomach. She then followed up with a blow to the back of his head, sending him to the ground with such force that his impact made an angel-shaped crater in the floor. Pit turned over on his back only for Phosphora to deliver a hard punch to his chest.

"Like I said, Pit." Phosphora began. "You're good. This is possibly the best workout I've gotten. But now it's time to end this." Phosphora then levitated in the air as a ball of electricity formed in her hand. The orb then gradualy began to enlarge itself. "_This is it_." Viridi said. "_That's Phosphora's Thunder Bomb. No one's ever survived that. It's game over for Pit_."

"_Ooh, I can hardly wait!_" Hades replied with sadistic glee. "_Barbequed angel wings anyone?_"

"_Don't count your chickens till they hatch_." Palutena said. "_Pit's not out of the game yet_." Pit, meanwhile, struggled to get to his feet. "_So this is how it ends, eh?_" he thought to himself. "_I can see the headlines: Captain of the Guard Gets Flash Fried. After all the monsters I've faced, in the end, I get beaten by a girl!_" As he thought on this, drops of sweat began forming. "_Oh, great. I'm so nervous, I'm sweating_." But that's when his face lit up with sudden realization. "Wait, that's it!"

"What's that? Any last words?" Phosphora asked.

"Yes. Time to hit the beach!" Pit then sprang to his feet and pulled out his Posideon Cannon, firing a stream of water at Phosphora. A shrill scream ripped from her throat as she was electrocuted, the energy orb disappearing. Phosphora fell to the ground and tried to attack with a blast of electricity, but nothing happened. "Wha-What did you _do?!_"

"Fun science fact: Water conducts electricity. And in your case, shorts it out." Pit said. Phosphora snarled and tried to punch Pit, but Pit countered with a punch to her chest. Pit unleashed a flurry of punches with his Brawler Claws before finally pulling out his Palutena Blade and slashing across her midsection. Phosphora tried to defend, but was too slow. The move seemed to be the mortal blow as she fell to her knees. "Did you see _that_ thunder?!"

"No. Because you can't see thunder." Phosphora said between breaths as electricity surged from her body. "I take back what I said before. You're not cute at all!" She then levitated in midair and dissovled into particles. "And I thought there was a certain... spark between us." Pit replied.

"_This can't be happening!_" Viridi shouted in utter disbelief. Phosphora was her best warrior, her second-in-command. There was no way she could be defeated.

"That's right! And I'm coming for you next, Viridi!" Pit declared. That's when the temple began to rumble as debris fell from the celing.

"_This place is going to the dogs without lovely little Phosphora_." Hades said.

"_Smarm it up while you still can, Hades_." Palutena replied as she extracted Pit. "_We'll be after _you_ soon enough!_"

"_Looking foward to it!_" Hades replied. "_I'll even clear some time from my schedule, just for you. Whenever you're ready_."

* * *

_**Later, at Viridi's Sanctuary**_

"Unacceptable!" Viridi shouted as Phosphora had her wounds tended to at the infirmary. "First Cragalanche, then Arlon, now _you?! How hard can it be to get rid of one little angel?!_"

"Oh, lighten up Mstress." Phosphora nonchalantly replied. "He got lucky is all. I'm _so_ getting a rematch. It does _not_ end like this. I'll-Ow! Take it easy will you!" she snapped at the medic. Viridi, meanwhile, let out a groan of frustration. "Is there _anyone_ who can give me some good news?!"

"Well, I have good news, bad news, and worse news." Came a voice from behind. Viridi and Phosphora turned to see Arlon standing at the door. "Okay... what's the good news?" Viridi asked.

"The repairs on the Lunar Sanctum are nearly complete and it should fully operational within a week." Arlon replied.

"And what's the bad news?" Phosphora asked.

"The Flages have yet to locate the prisoner, unfortunately." Arlon said.

"And how can the next bit of news possibly be worse?" Viridi asked.

"This, I'm afraid, is something you two may need to see for yourselves." Arlon said as he walked out of the room. Viridi and the newly-healed Phosphora followed the butler to the balcony. "Okay, what's so important that I have to personally see it?" Viridi asked. Arlon said nothing, but merely pointed at the sky. Viridi and Phosphora looked up and their eyes widened with a mixture of fear and wonder at what they saw. From the look of it, it appeared to be a large fleet of floating islands. "What is that?!" Phosphora asked.

"Don't quote me on this," Viridi began. "But I don't have a clue."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at Palutena's Temple.**_

"Okay, okay!" Palutena said as she walked toward the balcony of her temple. One of the Centurion Knights had charged into her quarters, practically begging her to come to the balcony, saying that it was of the utmost importance. Honestly, she thought they were overreacting. But she decided to humor them, if only so she could get some rest. She had made it to the balcony and looked around questioningly. "Okay, so where's the fire?" The Knight responded by pointing at the sky. Palutena looked up and was met by the most bizzare sight. It appeared to be a passel of floating islands. "Well, there's something you don't see every day." she said.

"But what are they?" the knight asked.

"To be honest. I'm not sure." she replied.

"But you're supposed to know many topics." the knight said.

"Well, there are some things that even a goddess doesn't know." Palutena said. "But whatever they are, they seem dangerous. Tell Pit to be ready."

* * *

_**Later, in the Underworld.**_

"Ahhh, this is rather nice." Hades said as he lounged in his special hot spring. This was his favorite pasttime. Now this may seem odd considering he was in the middle of a war between the Underworld, the Forces of Nature, and Palutena's Army. But Hades handled matters with a nonchalant attitude. Unlike regular hot springs, the ones that resided in the Underworld were purple. These were specially modified for the gods of the Underworld. Anyone else who lounged in them would be poisoned. Just when the god was about to fall asleep, a Reaper burst in. "I hope what you're about to tell me is important enough to interrput my private time." Hades said.

"My liege, Trouble on the surface world!" The Reaper replied. Hades gave a sigh in response and summoned a purple wisp of flame. The flame then grew and revealed an image of what appeared to be a passel of floating islands. Hades merely gave a malevolent smile in return. "Well this makes the game a bit interesting." he said.

"Uh boss? Should we be worried." the Reaper asked.

"Oh please." Hades replied. "Besides, it helps the plan. The more destruction there is, the more souls I get. Besides, these islands look harmless enough."

* * *

**Are these floating islands truly harmless, or are they a sign of greater dangers to come? Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**

**Next Chapter Preview: Mysterious Invaders. Next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! The war between the Underworld, Forces of Nature, and Palutena's Army is put on hold when the earth is invaded by strange aliens. The sudden otherworldly invasion forces the three warring factions into an uneasy truce. They are soon aided by the eccentric, self-proclaimed Sun God Pyrrhon. Just what is his connection to the invaders. All this will be revealed on the next exciting chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_**


	16. Chapter 15: Mysterious Invaders

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising. Pit was thrown in the midst of an electrifying battle between the Underworld and the Forces of Nature. Leading the Underworld forces was a revived Thanatos and on the Forces of Nature side was the beautiful but deadly Phosphora. After defeating Thanatos, Phosphora retreated to the Thunder Cloud Temple to recharge and heal. Pit followed her there and after an ardous showdown, managed to defeat her. But now an even bigger threat looms over the horizon. Can Pit counter this new threat? Find out, now!  
**

**OOC: First off, I'm pleased to announce that I'm nearly halfway done with this story! Only 10 chapters left! Thank you to all who left reviews and please keep them coming! Second, I want to point out that October 4th marked 2 years since I started writing fanfiction, so happy anniversary to me! Finally, I had a lot of fun with this chapter, especially at the end.**

Pit let out a yawn as he slowly made his way to the door, the alarm blaring loudly. It was six in the morning and Pit was usually sleeping at this hour, but the alarm pretty much ruined any prospect of a good night's rest. After all, the rule was if the alarm rang, then all personell must assemble for duty. Of course this didn't stop the Centurions from sounding the alarm as a prank, an act that was frowned upon by Lady Palutena. Part of Pit hoped that this was either a prank or a false alarm so he could get back to some much needed rest and relaxation. "I'm...so sleepy." Pit said as he walked through the door, nearly falling out. Luckily the Power of Flight activated and kept him aloft.

"_Sorry to drag you out so early, but we've got a big emergency_." Palutena said. "_We have a_ big _problem. Bigger than all of us gods_."

"What could possibly be bigger than the go- Oh my gods." Pit mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. Once he opened them. He was met with the most frightening and astonishing sight to ever be seen on this earth. It looked to be a passel of floating islands. By the look of it, there were practically thousands of them. "What is _that?!_" he asked. The angel then looked down and saw blue beams of light fired from the islands. The beams seemed to rip apart some of the earth's surface and gravitate it towards the islands. "It's...it's ransacking the earth!" he shouted. But Pit wouldn't have much time to think it over as he was soon attacked by enemy fire. "_Enemies incoming!_" Palutena said. The enemies in question resembled floating white triangles. They would open up to reveal a small red eye and fired bolts of energy. Pit evaded their shots and retaliated with shots from his Palutena Bow. "They're firing on me!" Pit said.

"_I'm not even sure what_ they _are!_" Palutena replied. Pit was also attacked by floating enemies that expanded to fire laser beams. Pit tried his best to avoid enemy fire and fought back as best he could. But it seemed that whenever he destroyed one enemy, two more took its place. He also came across triangle-shaped enemies that fired missiles. Whenever Pit tried to fire on them, they would disappear to avoid his shots. "_They're organized, but who's giving the orders?_" Paluena asked.

"Maybe they're a new unit of the Forces of Nature?" Pit asked.

"_Come on now_." Came Viridi's reply. "_Do they look_ 'natural' _to you?_" At that moment, Forces of Nature troops began attacking the mysterious invaders.

"Viri-"

"_Morning, do-gooders!_" Hades chimed in, cutting Pit off.

"Don't tell me you two are behind this!" Pit said. Knowing Hades and Viridi, he wouldn't put it past either one of them to come up with a scheme this outrageous.

"_Sadly, no, though I_ do _appalud any and all violence directed at you._" Hades answered.

"_Plus, you should know that I'd never work with Hades_." Viridi added. "_In fact, I was about to destroy them when_ they _suddenly appeared_."

"_No, they saved_ her _at the last minute_." Hades said.

"So you have no idea what they are?" Pit asked.

"_I'm sure know-it-all Palutena is just_ dying _to illuminate us_." Hades sarcastically remarked.

"_Unfortunately, I don't know any more than you do_." Palutena replied. "_I can only tell you that they're not of this world_."

"You mean they're... invaders from space?!" Pit asked as he flew closer to the group of islands, taking out enemies as he did. It was a farfetched question, but considering the current situation at hand, it didn't sound too farfetched. "_They're not just invading. This swarm is _harvesting_ whole sections of the earth!_" Viridi said. "_They're like bees taking pollen back to whatever hive they call home_."

"_Not to quibble over details, but I think _locusts_ are a more apt analogy_." Hades replied. "_But whatever they are, they must be stopped. Earth is_ my _flower to plunder, not theirs!_"

"_Do I have to do _everything_ around here?_" Viridi asked. "_Forces of Nature, drop the hammer!_" At her command a swarm of Forces of Nature troops began attacking the invaders. "I guess we Underworlders will get in the mix, too." Hades said. "_Shoot anything that moves!_" At that moment, swarms of Underworld monsters assisted the Forces of Nature troops in fighting the invaders. Pit, meanwhile, stood back and watched the whole spectacle. "Still can't get along, I see." he said.

"_Just do what you can, and try to stay out of the thick of things_." Palutena advised. Pit flew into the fray and aided the two factions in battling the invaders. The endeavor was made significantly eaiser with help from the troops. Pit then began to fly near one of the floating islands. Just as he did, laser turrets began appearing and opened fire on him. The angel did his best to avoid enemy fire. "I've never seen anything like this!" he said.

"_These things are tough_." Viridi said.

"_But what are they?_" Palutena asked. But just as she pondered on this question. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hearty, triumphant laughter. Pit then looked to see what he at first thought was a shooting star or a comet. But upon closer inspection, it was actually a man on fire. Or, to be more precise, a man made _of_ fire. He looked like he stepped straight out of a kid's comic book. He had a muscular build and a body engulfed in flames including his hair. He also had bright red skin covered with tattoo-like, glowing yellow lines. His eyes were emerald green and he had a green orb embedded on his forehead. The being rushed toward some of the enemies and delivered a punch with his hand engulfed in flames, killing them instantly. "Villains are no match for Pyrrhon!" He boasted triumphantly. He then flew down toward the island, taking out more enemies. Pit flew in hot pursuit.

"_Pyrrhon? The sun god Pyrrhon?_" Palutena asked.

"The one and only!" Pyrrhon replied.

"_This_ wacko's the sun god?" Pit asked incredulously.

"_Well, that's what he calls himself anyway_." Viridi replied.

"Ah! So you're all together?! Good! Pyrrhon _loves_ a party!" he said.

"_Listen, do you know anything about these enemies?_" Palutena asked, wanting to get to the heart of the matter.

"Of course!" Pyrrhon scoffed. "They're the Aurum, and _this_ passel of floating islands is just _one_ of their bases."

"_Just_ one _of their bases?!_" Hades asked. "_How much more hell_ do _they plan to raise?_"

"Let me drop a little knowledge on you!" Pyrrhon said.

"_Oh goody_." Viridi replied with obvious sarcasm.

"It's all in the Book of Divine Prophecy, chapter 84, section 3." Pyrrhon began. "'Beckoned by destruction and corruption, the Aurum are born from and return to nothing. They travel across the galaxy to swallow up the heavens, land, and seas.'"

"_I don't remember that passage_." Viridi remarked with skepticism.

"I'll break it down for you, godlings. The Aurum are gonna eat the entire Earth!" Pyrrhon said. "But stow your fear. Pyrrhon has a delivery, and the return address is 'justice!'" He then flew off into a fray of Aurum troops. "We can trust this guy, right?" Pit asked.

"_Um..._" Palutena replied, trying to think of a good answer. Though his knowledge of the Aurum is invaulable, Pyrrhon was considered quite the oddball among the divine pantheon. "_You know things are dire if _that's_ the guy we're listening to!_" Viridi chimed in.

"Feel the wrath of my pyro blasters, space weirdos!" Pyyrhon said as he began tossing fireballs at the Aurum troops. And he was clearly enjoying himself from the sound of it. "HAHAHAHAHA! Kablooey! Kablammy!" Pit just did nothing but stare at the Sun God as he single-handedly faced the Aurum troops. He would sometimes form a sword or a hammer made of flames and slash at them. "_Yes...let's let Pyrrhon take care of this_." Palutena said. "_We'll take the other side of the islands!_"

"Good plan." Pit said as he flew into a narrow crack in the island. It was filled with spiral-shaped enemies that flung themselves at Pit. Pit tried his best to avoid them and even managed to take out a few. He made it out of the island and found himself right next to the tractor beam as it harvested some of the Earth's surface. "This is out of control!" he said.

"_The Aurum are blowing up the earth and then taking the pieces for themselves!_" Viridi said.

"If they're like bees, what are they doing with it all? Making honey?" Pit asked.

"_Viridi, it was you and Hades who lured the Aurum to our world_." Palutena said.

"_What?!_" Viridi snapped, defensively. "_That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!_"

"_Well, Pyrrhon said they're "beckoned by destruction and corruption_._"_" Palutena replied. "_They were likely drawn here by the war between the Underworld and nature_."

"_Convenient how you've forgotten_ your _little tiff with the Underworld_." Viridi said.

"Convenient how _you've_ forgotten a massive Reset Bomb visible from space!" Pit replied.

"_You! Zip it! The Aurum are the agressors here! We're the victims!_" Viridi said.

"_You're absolutely right_." Palutena said. "_Like it or not, we're on the same side now." _Pit then flew toward one of the island in the middle of the group. "_We're heading to the center of the Aurum islands_." Paltuena said. "_That tower is the key to stopping all this devastation. Prepare for land battle_."

"OK!" Pit said as he landed on the island. Once he did, he took a moment to look around and observe his surroundings. Everything looked like a patchwork of materials from various places put together in a structured, orderly manner. But other than the occasional Aurum enemy, there was no actual life. "Is this...the future?" he asked.

"_The Aurum must have stolen materials from all over to build this place_." Viridi said.

"_I wonder how many other planets were harvested to make it_." Palutena mused.

"For being patched together, everything seems pretty structured." Pit said.

"_If the Aurum are like bees, that's no surprise_." Palutena replied. "_Bees are orderly colonies. Likewise, the Aurum seem to act as one. And I doubt these drones have any sense of free will_."

"There's all this activity here, but no life. It's pretty creepy!" Pit said. "At this point, I'd expect a boss or something. And he'd be like, 'Muah ha ha! I've been waiting for you, Pit!'"

"_Aww, poor Pit. Are you feeling lonely? Because I can call in one of my commanders to keep you company!_" Viridi said.

"Heh heh...I was just kidding. I'm fine!" Pit replied. He walked forward and was confronted by three Aurum troops. Pit defeated them all, only for the strange portal-like object to summon more of them. Pit took those out and destroyed the strange object, causing it to sink into the floor. "_Taking out targets like that is the key to moving past certain obstacles_." Palutena said.

"Or I could just go 'Woo-hoo!' and fly over them entirely." Pit replied.

"_You know I can't enable the power of flight right after you've used it_." Palutena said.

"I know...but it sure would be nice." Pit said.

"_Sheesh, talk about passive aggressive!_" Viridi said. Pit moved foward and was attacked by an Aurum enemy that looked like a wheel of cheese. It attacked by flinging pieces of itself at Pit. Pit dodged its attacks and fired a charged shot at it from his bow. He was then attacked by an Aurum enemy that had rotating shields. Pit timed his shots so they would travel in between the shields and killed the enemy. He then fired shots at the barrier on his left, causing it to recede into the ground. He proceeded onward only to be attacked by an odd-looking Aurum enemy. It was truly hard to describe. If floated downward and fired a black hole at Pit. Pit tried to dodge, but was caught in the hole's gravitational field. This left him vulnerable to the enemy's laser beam. Pit took the hit but got back to his feet and finished the Aurum troop off with a charged shot.

He then went through a door and was attacked by another of those strange enemies. Pit tossed a Smart Bomb at it before it could fire a black hole. But just as Pit neared the exit, he was met by two even more strange enemies. They looked vaguely humanoid, but they also resembled jellyfish to an extent. One of their tentacles were moving in a waving motion. "Huh? Are those enemies...waving at me?" he asked.

"_They're not saying hello, if that's what you're asking_." Viridi replied.

"_Those Aurum enemies are known as Zaurums_." Paltuena said. "_Their attacks can confuse you, so don't stop to say hi_." Before Pit could say or do anything, The Zaurums fired a wave of energy at Pit. Pit then became disorented a bit and ran smack into a wall. Pit came to his senses and fired at the Zaurums, killing them both. He ran into the next room where there was a large pillar. Pit shot the glowing target in the pillar and it sank into the floor, allowing him to go through the other door. Once he did, he saw a Pew Pew battling an Aurum troop with rotating shields. Pit helped defeat the Aurum troop, and then shot the small object to make part of the wall sink into the floor to move further. He then caught sight of a treasure chest. He ran toward it only for the floor to start moving down. The chest then began to sprout legs. "Huh? A Mimicutie?!"

"_An elevator into a torture chamber! Convenient!_" Viridi said.

"_Hades, did you put that treasure box there?_" Palutena asked accusingly.

"_Me? I would never!_" Came Hades's indigant reply. Pit defeated the Mimicutie and rode the elevator back up. He turned to his left and saw a hot spring. "Ooh hoo hoo! A hot spring!" he said as he ran to it, only for the hot spring to rise out of his reach. "Where's it going?! Get back here, hot spring!"

"Don't worry. There are stairs to your right that will take you to it." Palutena said.

"I love you, hot spring!" Pit shouted as he ran up the stairs and into the hot spring. "Ahhh. I'm feelin' the healin'." he said as the hot spring healed his wounds. "_I hope for your sake that's a hot spring and not some other kind of...puddle_."

"Ew! Viridi, kids could be reading this fanfic!" Pit said.

"_What? They're gonna learn about their bodies sometime_." Viridi said. Once done, Pit got out the hot spring and ran through the door. There he saw an Exo-Tank. "Hey look, an Exo Tank!" he said.

"_Hey look, who cares?_" came Hades's reply.

"_It doesn't make sense_." Viridi said.

"_I certainly didn't put it there_." Palutena said.

"Well, since it's here, I might as well use it!" Pit said as he got in the Exo-Tank and drove through the area, mowing down enemies in his path. The next area he went to had a small ramp. "_There's a jump up ahead_." Palutena said.

"_You're gon-na fa-all! You're gon-na fa-all!_" Viridi taunted. Pit ignored her and simply drove over the ramp, landing on the platform before driving off. "No, I didn't! No, I didn't!" Pit replied with a raspberry. He then drove through the door and made his way down the winding path to find a treasure box awaiting him. "_There's another treasure box_." Palutena said. "_All hail the goddess of obvious_." Viridi replied. Pit drove a bit closer to the treasure box, only for ti to reveal itself as another Mimicutie. "Nononononononono!" Pit whined.

"What elegance! What grace! What disturbing brutality!" Hades said with appaluse.

"Nonononononono_no!_" Pit whined louder. Before the Mimicutie could do anything, Pit opened fire on it with the Exo-Tank's lasers, killing it. He got out the Exo-Tank and ran through the door. He fired at the barrier in front of him to make it recede into the ground before moving along. He then took the elevator up. "_I placed a grind rail up ahead for you_." Palutena said.

"Thank you very much!" Pit replied.

"_Don't thank me yet_." Palutena said. "_It didn't turn out exactly as I hoped. It got a little... weird_."

"Not a problem!" Pit replied. "I eat 'weird' for breakfast!" The elevator stopped and Pit ran onto the grind rail and found that it looked distorted and bent. "But it _is_ kinda crooked." he said as he rode along, taking out Aurum troops. "_Something seems to have distorted it_." Palutena said. "_The nerve of those Aurum!_" Viridi said. "_How dare they mess with your godly powers?_"

"_Sorry about that, Pit_." Palutena said.

"It's okay. Distorted's better than disabled." Pit replied as he landed on a platform. He hopped on the next grind rail and got to the next platform where he saw a strange floating object. He fired at it with his Palutena Blade, only for it to come to life and fire back. "_Your attacks are making that Baglo counterattack_." Palutena said. "Couldn't you have mentioned that earlier?!" Pit asked. He managed to defeat the Baglo and hopped on to the third grind rail. He made it to another platform where he was attacked by more Aurum troops. He defeated them all and another grind rail appeared. "_This is the last of the grind rails_." Palutena said.

"Watch _me_ stick the landing!" Pit replied as he hopped on the grind rail and rode it all the way toward a small tower. He ran through the door and into an elevator. He took the elevator down and walked out. "_There's a path down through that tower_." Palutena said. Pit began to run down the path. "So I should just keep going down this way?" He asked.

"_I'm picking up high energy readings from the base of the tower_." Paltuena replied. "_You can head there... I think_."

"_Aww, sounds like someone's losing her nerve!_" Hades teased. "_Guess I'd better step in! Get in here, boys! It's time for some Underworld Army action!_" At that moment, groups of Underworld monsters began to descend into the tower. Unfortunately, they didn't get far as lasers turrets appeared and eradicated them all. "_Well_, that _didn't go very well_." Hades said.

"_I think we should just leave this to Pit_." Viridi said.

"Oh, sure. Do you want me to pick up your dry cleaning too? Or give you a massage?" Pit replied.

"_You give massages?_" Viridi asked.

"Well, I'm professionally trained, but hello? Sarcasm?" Pit replied.

"_Well, I know who I'm calling if I need a massage_." Viridi said.

"_Now, now, Pit. Viridi has faith in you, and so do I. I know you can handle it!_" Palutena said.

"I'll do my best! But only for you." Pit replied warmly.

"_Pit certainly is devoted to you, Palutena_." Viridi said.

"_Only because she squeezes his head wreath when he doesn't follow orders_." Hades replied.

"_You mean like_...this?!" Palutena asked. Pit immediately placed his hands on his head. "No no no no no! You'll squeeze my brains out!...Why do I always fall for that?"

"_Ha ha ha ha ha! Nicely done_." Viridi giggled.

"_Thank you_." the Goddess of light replied.

"_Who knew pretty Palutena possessed a sense of humor?_" Hades asked.

"Hmph. Very funny." Pit replied with obvious sarcasm. "Just remember who's trying to save your collective butts." He rolled his eyes and kept moving downward until he reached a small platform. "The center of that platform is an elevator down." Palutena said. Pit rode the elevator down until he reached a large room in the center was a strange machine with large rectangular yellow shields that rotated around its red core. Also surrounding it were small laser turrets. "So that's what I need to destroy?" Pit asked.

"_Only one way to find out?_" Hades replied. Pit opened fire on the core with a charged shot, only for it to bounce off one of the shields. That caused one of the turrets to return fire on Pit. Pit jumped to avoid it only for part of the floor to turn purple, electrocuting him. Pit jumped to a safer part of the room. "Augh. That shield is so annoying!" he groaned.

"_There are gaps in it that expose the core_." Palutena said. "_Keep circling around the shield and shoot the openings. You might want to take care of those outer guns too_." Pit first took out the turrets before focusing fire on the core itself. "_Your boy Pit gets an A for effort_." Hades said.

"_I don't know what I'd do without him_." Palutena replied.

"Aw thanks, Lady Palutena! You're the reason I go on fighting every day." Pit said.

"_It seems we have a little mutual admiration society here_." Viridi said.

"_Isn't that sweet_." Hades replied. "_And by 'sweet,' I mean disgusting!_"

"_I wouldn't expect you two to know anything about loyalty or devotion_." Paltuena said.

"_I know sappiness when I see it_." Viridi replied.

"_Hear, hear!_" Hades added.

"_That's enough from the cheap seats_." Palutena said.

"Okay... So, where were we?" Pit shook it off and continued firing on the Aurum Core, often moving around the room to find a better opening and avoid the turrets and the electrified parts of the room. Pit soon began to realize that this strategy was too slow and going nowhere. That's when he got an idea. He took out all his Killer Eye gadgets and placed them in a circle around the Core. The Killer Eyes fired their lasers at the Core. Pit then activated three Mega Laser powers at different positions, forming a triangle. Pit then activated his Meteor Shower power for added measure. Pit hoped that a combination of these would be enough, and it seemed to be working as the core began to crack. The room turned red as an alarm blared throughout. "DANGER! DANGER! CORE INTEGRITY COMPROMISED! CORE INTEGRITY COMPROMISED!" Strange orbs began to appear throughout the room. Pit fired on one and it exploded. That gave him another idea. He took out his Capricorn Club and swatted one of the orbs at the core, causing it to explode. Pit kept it up, each hit damaging the core until it finally exploded. "Pulverized!" Pit said.

"_Let's see what happens!_" Hades said. Several explosions occured throughout the room, causing debris to fall. One was about to fall on Pit. Pit closed his eyes only to be suddenly whisked away by what appeared to be a living fireball. When Pit opened his eyes, he found himself under Pyrrhon's arm. He looked back too see the group of floating islands fall out of the sky itn a spectacular explosion. "You all right there, citizen?" Pyrrhon asked.

"A-OK!" Pit replied.

"_Thanks for your help, Pyrrhon!_" Palutena said. "_Pit! Let's regroup!_" She then extracted Pit right out from under Pyrrhon's arm. "Whoop! Pyrrhon senses danger..." Pyrrhon then turned to see a large fleet of Aurum ships. "And now, Pyrhhon sees it!" He then teleported away.

* * *

**The gang has managed to thwart the Aurum's first wave of attack, but can they completely defeat the alien invasion? Find out next time on _Kid Icarus: Uprising!_"**

**Next Chapter Preview: The Aurum Hive. **

**Narrator: On the next chapter of _Kid Icarus: Uprising! _Pit and his allies must inflitrate the Aurum Hive in an attempt to- Ow!**

**Pyrrhon: Ease up there, citizen!**

**Narrator: What the hell's going on?!**

**Pyrrhon: This is _Pyrrhon's_ story now! _I'm_ narrating this story!**

**Narrator: I'm the narrator here! I'm the one writing this goddamn story! You wouldn't be on fanfiction if it wasn't for me you- (Pyro Snake wraps around him, muffling his cries.)**

**Pyrrhon: Don't worry folks. He'll be alright. Now as I was saying. Though the Aurum have been weakened, Pit, with help from Yours Truly and some of the other guys, must inflitrate the dreaded Aurum Hive, the factory that generates the Aurum's weapons of mass destruction. Fraught with danger, suspense, and action, Pit must gather all of his strength to bring down the mighty forces. Will he succeed? Find out on the next awesome chapter of Pyrrrhon's- Uh, I mean,_ Kid Icarus: Uprising!_"**


	17. Chapter 16: The Aurum Hive

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! An unlikely and uneasy truce is formed between the three warring factions when mysterious invaders known as the Aurum arrive on Earth. Drawn by the conflict between the Underworld and the Forces of Nature, The Aurum arrived with the expressed intention of devouring the planet. With the assistance from the eccentric Sun God Pyrrhon, Pit manages to infiltrate one of the Aurum's massive islands and destroy the core, stopping the first wave of attack. Now, to further cripple the Aurum, Pit and the others must destroy their fleet. Find out what happens, now!**

**OOC: Sorry this is late. Had fo fufill a request from a friend, then I took sick, and then the internet shut down for most of the day Monday.**

"Heading out!" Pit said as he ran to the door, only to be sucked out by the sudden breeze. He was sent diving towards what he could vaguely make out as a fleet of ships. "_The Aurum have been weakened, but not defeated_." Palutena began. "_We need to destroy their fleet next_."

"Understood! That fleet's going down!" Pit replied.

"_To that end, I've given you some new weapons_." Palutena said. "_Why don't you try them out?_" Pit held out his hand and a strange futuristic blade appeared. "Cool!" he exclaimed. "_Glad you approve_." Palutena said. "_It's called the Aurum Blade_."

"Wait. _Aurum_ Blade?" Pit asked with a raised eyebrow. "You mean the new weapons are Aurum made?"

"_That's right_." she said. "_Take em down with their own tech! There's also the Aurum Club, Aurum Orbitars, and Aurum Palm_." Pit listened to the list then summoned each weapon in the exact order. The club looked like a futuristic city on a stick rather than an actual weapon. The orbitars looked humorously similar to the Tribyte enemies. When he got to the palm, he stopped to observe it a bit. "You know, this palm kinda reminds me of Iron Man." Pit said as he struck a pose. "Repulsor rays, go!"

"_Pit, time to focus_." Palutena said sternly.

"Your right." he said. "It's time to take it to these Aurum chumps!" He dived towards one of the many groups of massive battleships that littered the sky. "_Take out those green targets, Pit!_" Palutena said. Pit took out his new Aurum Orbitarts and opened fire on the green targets on the ships as he passed through them, leaving them as smoldering piles of wreckage. Once he did, he found himself quite literally into the frying pan as he was attacked on all sides by both the bizzarely-shaped Aurum ships and Aurum troops. Pit tried his best to avoid fire, but just as he was about to be blasted by a battleship, something unusual happened. A bolt of lightning struck the ship and it exploded. Pit looked up to find a huge storm cloud. Pit didn't have to guess that it was Phosphora in control of the cloud. Still not fully healed from her fight with Pit, the Lightning Flash decided to play it safe and attack from a distance. It helped that she had a squadron of Zerts and Badoots assisting her. Their combined electrical powers were potent enough to heavily damage the Aurum ships. Phosphora then attacked by sending a tornado into an Aurum Destroyer, slamming it into a cruiser.

Pit looked to his left to see a group of Aurum ships taken out by a large blue beam. He looked up to see the newly built Lunar Sanctum firing lasers at any Aurum troops that got too close to them. So it seemed Arlon survived his fight with Pit. At the same time, a swarm of Forces of Nature troops dived into the fray. Though Pit was happy to have strength in numbers, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer number battleships and troops. "There are so many different ships!" Pit said.

"_Well, yes_." Palutena said. "_There are battleships, cruisers, destroyers, kayaks_..."

"No, I mean the _Aurum_ have lots of ships." Pit interrupted her as he flew near a battleship. "I doubt they have any kayaks."

"_There_ are _a lot of them_." Palutena said. "_It might be best to get you out of there_."

"_Now why would you want to do that?_" Hades chuckled. "_Where you pinheads see adversity,_ I_ see opportunity!_"

"Hades!" Pit said.

"_For example, this battleship looks like it could use a good home_." Hades continued. "_Now's your chance, minions! It's lootin' time!_" Pit turned toward the sky to see swarms of Underworld Monoeyes descend upon the battleship. They swarmed around the vessel, seemingly hellbent on taking it apart for whatever valuables may lie inside. "_The Underworld certainly is enthusiasic when it comes to thieving_." Palutena said. Seeing as there was nothing he could do to assist. Pit flew away. In the distance, he caught sight of a large metallic dome-shaped object. "Up ahead is where he battleships are being hatched." Palutena said.

"Hatched? Don't you mean... built?" Pit asked.

"_Sorry. I keep thinking of the Aurum as a bee colony_." Palutena replied. "_And if their smaller troops are drones, their ships are killer bees. If we want to take down their fleet, we need to target the source of the problem_."

"Ugh, I hope there's no Aurum Queen." Pit said. He was then attacked by what appeared to be green meteors. Pit dodged them all and shot at one with his Aurum Blade, but it had no effect. "Those meteors are kinda pretty." he said.

"_Actually, those are also Aurum troops_." Palutena said. "_According to my Celestial Super Scanner, they're 'Rozzes'_."

"Your... Celestial Super Scanner?" Pit asked. "Oh, I get it. That's how you know the names of enemies."

"_Well, you can't actually pronounce Aurum names, so I took a few creative liberties_." Palutena said. Pit continued to make his way towards the Aurum Hive, but was attacked by more Quoils and Nukeleens. Pit shot the nukeleens, causing them to explode and damage any nearby Quoils. That's when some Underworld troops arrived on the scene. The Underworld troops were in battle with some Aurum troops he had not seen before. Pit simply opened fire on them as well with his Aurum Orbitars. "_Hey! am I the only one paying attention here? Look!_" Viridi said. "_Those Aurum 'troops' are just rip-offs of Underworld enemies!_"

"What?!" Pit said. Upon closer inspection, Pit saw that they were indeed copies of Underworld monsters, specifically a Monoeye, a Mik, and a Specknose.

"_I gotta hand it to them; those are some pretty decent knockoffs_." Hades said.

"_First they devour planets_, now_ they're copying enemies? Ugh, lowlifes!_" Viridi said.

"_So maybe the Treasure Boxes and Exo Tanks were also copies_." Palutena said.

"_Can't say for sure_." Viridi replied.

"Full disclosure here, the Mimicuties were courtesy of yours truly." Hades said.

"It _was_ you!" Pit said accusingly.

"_What-don't you like presents, Pitty pat?_" Hades teased.

"Not when the presents try to kill me!" Pit retorted.

"_Then I'll be sure that they_ do _kill you next time_." Hades said. Pit ignored him as he neared the Aurum Hive. "We're nearing a floating island." Palutena said. "_You can hide from the Aurum fleet by taking a lower route_." Pit dived into the clouds and was met by some smaller Aurum troops. He shot his way through with his Aurum Orbitars and was about to make his way out only to be confronted by three Aurum Cruisers. "_Uh-oh. They've sent Cruisers in! They're destroying themselves to get to you!_" Palutena said.

"_I have to hand it to the Aurum. They don't fool around_." Viridi said.

"Yeah? Well neither do I!" Pit said as he nimbly dodged the Cruisers' missiles. He made it out of the clouds only to encounter more Aurum ships. Spotting the green targets on the ships, Pit shot his way through. "_None of these battleships seem to have a helm_." Viridi said.

"_And I'm not detecting any life-forms in the ships either_." Palutena replied.

"_Something_ has _to be controlling them_." Viridi said.

"_We are from outerr spaaaaaace_..." Hades chimed in, imitating alien voices.

"_Yes, yes, you're hilarious_." Paltuena sarcastically replied.

"It seems like awfully poor design for these ships to have their weak spots exposed." Pit said as he shot at another battleship.

"_Or you can just thank me for the user-friendly interface_." Palutena said.

"Are you saying that you exposed the ships' weak spots?!" Pit asked.

"_I attached large markers to the ships' exteriors that connect to their engines_." Palutena said. "_In less technical terms, I used my power of weak-point exposure_."

"Hey, thanks!" Pit said.

"Anything to help you take down the Aurum fleet!" Palutena replied. Pit continued flying, taking out any ships he came across until he finally reached the Aurum Hive. "_We've arrived at the Aurum Hive_." Palutena said. "_There's just one problem_."

"What is it?" Pit asked.

"_There doesn't seem to be any way in_." Palutena said.

"Really? There's not a single entry?" Pit asked.

"_Doesn't look like it_." she said.

"And we can't just bust in?"

"_We can't_." she said.

"_There's a shield to protect the ships on their way out_." Viridi said. Pit observed the shps as the exited the Aurum Hive from a trianglular energy field. Pit dived through the energy field, only to be electrocuted. He unloaded several shots from each of his new Aurum weapons, but to no avail. "But you _always_ find a way in, Lady Palutena!" Pit said. "So now what? We just go home and order a pizza?"

"_I_ do _have a coupon_."

"You two have more pedestrian tastes than I expected." Viridi said.

"_Don't curse the darkness-light a candle!_" Hades said. "_When freaky aliens give you lemons, make freaky alien lemonade! Like_ this!" Pit looked upward to see the same battleship the Underworld Troops ransacked heading straight towards him! Pit screamed and moved out of the way as the battleship impaled itself into the forcefield. "Well, that's one way to do it." Pit said. "_That. Was. Awesone_." Viridi said, in complete amazement.

"_Now just pass through the ship to enter the Aurum Hive_." Palutena said.

"_It's like a straw stuck in an orange._" Viridi said. Still amazed by the act.

"Commencing Operation Hive infiltration!" Pit said as he flew into a hole in the battleship. The path out was a bit trickier than anticipated due to the inside of the ship being on fire. ""Hot hot hot hot hot hot HOT!" Pit yelped as he tried his best to avoid burning himself. Eventually, he managed to find his way out without too much damage and landed in the Aurum Hive. "Now that we're in the Aurum Hive, we're one step closer to stopping their fleet." Pit said.

"Right. So the next step is to shut down the hive's power generator." Palutena said. Pit took out his Aurum Blade and made his way down the path into the next room. As soon as he set foot in the room, an alarm began to blare. The wall across from him opened, releasing two Quoils, and Aurum versions of an Urgle and a Skuttler. Pit shot at the two Quoils, then bisected the Urgle as it charged toward him. He then threw his blade at the Aurum Skuttler, impaling it in its eye and killing it. "_You must have set off an alarm_." Palutena said.

"_Maybe you tripped their smell sensors_." Viridi teased. "_Though the Aurum probably use more high-tech ways of detecting intruders. Like a...brain-wave scanner or something_."

"_No, it was probably his smell_." Palutena said.

"Hey!" Pit said. He then discretly took a brief sniff at his ampit before moving through the door to his left. He went down the hallway to another room and found three Tribytes waiting for him. He defeated them all and took the elevator down. "_The ship the Underworld Army hijacked was really in rough shape_." Palutena said.

"_Well_, yeah. _They_ did _crash it straight into the hive_." Viridi said. "_But on the bright side...in doing so, they lost some of their own troops_ and _took out some Aurum forces_."

"_I_ am _thankful for that bit of good news_." Palutena said.

"_Um, you're welcome?_" Hades asked. Pit waked through the door and made his way across the hallway, timing it to avoid being electrocuted by the glowing floor panels. He walked out into the next room and was confronted by two Jyoks. Pit dodged their beams and fired back with his Aurum Blade. "_The power generator is somewhere deep inside the Aurum Hive_." Palutena said.

"_I'm against this place. It's so cold and sterile_." Viridi said.

"Oh, I don't know. It's nothing a lava lamp and few posters couldn't fix." Pit said. "And maybe a few hot springs."

"_You'd put hot springs in everything_." Viridi said.

"Nothing's complete without hot springs!" Pit said. He used the jump pad to get up and was attacked by Aurum Shernums. He tossed grenades at their urns and killed off any stragglers before moving foward. He used the next jump pad to get up and was faced with a very rickety-looking pathway. "The path foward isn't very sturdy." Palutena said. "You'll have to move quickly." Pit ran across the pathway, which began to disappear under his feet. He reached the top and was attacked by a Baglo. He tossed a Smart Bomb at it and was met by a strange looking Aurum troop with eight green dots surrounding it. "What's the enemy with the green dots?" Pit asked.

"_It's called a Biota_." Palutena said. "_You can send its shots back at it with melee attacks_." The Biota fired off one of its green orbs at Pit. Pit took out his Aurum Club and knocked it back, damaging the Biota. It then fired a red orb at Pit. Pit repeated the tactic and the red orb exploded, finishing it off. He walked through the door and down the path where he saw two large, rotating, purple fan blades. "What do we have here?" he asked.

"_They seem to be fans made of lasers_." Viridi replied. "_Hm. Not the most effective method of cooling_."

"But they're a pretty effective method of hurting." Pit said. "Specifically, hurting _me_."

"_Good thing you're so quick and nimble!_" Palutena said. Pit ran across the hall, carefully avoiding the spinning fans. He reached the door and was about to go through only to feel the ground shake below him. "Do you feel a rumble?" Pit asked.

"_It's coming from a behemoth of a vehicle!_" Palutena said. Pit looked to see a large train-like object charge straight towards him then turn slightly to the left. "_It looks like it runs on a loop_."

"As a disclaimer, your insurance doesn't cover getting run over by alien trains." Viridi said.

"_Outer space_ is _a bit out of the coverage area_." Palutena said.

"Is everything a big joke with you two?" Pit asked.

"_We're gods, Pit. It helps relieve the tension_." Palutena said.

"Can't argue with you there." Pit said. He cautiously made his way foward, using his Sky jump power to avoid the incoming train. He reached another pathway and took the elevator down to a hot spring. "_Pit! There's a hot spring!_" Palutena said. Pit ran to it and started soaking in it, letting its properties heal his wounds. "_Hold on. This is an _Aurum_ hot spring_." Viridi said. "_You don't know if it's dangerous_."

"Dangerous? Come on now. I've spent this entire fanfic getting shot at." Pit retorted. "Plus, if Aurum hot springs are so deadly, why didn't you warn me in the last chapter?"

"_Because that's_ Palutena's _job, not mine_." Viridi replied. Pit got out the hot spring and used the jump pad to cross the gap. He went through the door and found himself in a room with a moving floor. Nearby was an Aether Ring. "_Look, an Aether Ring_." Palutena said.

"It's probably another cheap Aurum knockoff." Viridi said.

"I don't care! If it works, I'm gonna use it!" Pit said as he hopped in. "I'm an angel! And this is how we get stuff done!"

"_No, that's how_ scavengers _get thing done_." Viridi said. "_Are you a buzzard, Pit?_"

"_Now, now, I think we can all agree that Pit's not a buzzard_." Palutena said. "_Though I have seen him eat some questionable things off the ground_..."

"Floor ice cream gives you health!" Pit said. He was then surrounded by groups of Kolmas, Jioyks, Zaurums, Aurum Urgles, and Nukleens. Pit shot at the Nukleens with his Aether Ring and used the force field to protect against the resulting explosion. He then finished off any enemy not caught in the blast. With them gone, the door opened. "_Careful you don't get squished ahead_." Palutena said. "_Unfortunately that Aether Ring won't protect you from moving walls_." Pit carefully manuvered the narrow hallway and managed to get through without too much trouble. He made it to a room with a small hole in the floor. "_There appears to be a passageway that leads downward_." Palutena said. "_Good thing you're riding that Aether Ring. It's better to aim your shots when you're floating down_."

Pit floated downwards on the Aether Ring until he reached another hallway. He was about to move only for the door to his right to spring out hearts. "Yow!" he said.

"_Are those hearts Aurum copies too?_" Viridi asked.

"_Well, scavenge away!_" Palutena said. Pit made his way through the hallway, each door springing out hearts. When he got to the end of the hall, the last door revealed a Jiyok behind it. "Hey, you were supposed to be a heart!" Pit shouted as he destroyed the enemy. He went into a room and was confronted by more Aurum troops. "Wow, the Aurum really know how to make a guy feel welcome." Pit said sarcastically. Pit opened fire on the troops, using the Aether Ring's forcefield to avoid damage. Pit defeated them all and the path opened. "Fist pump!" Pit cheered. He got out the Aether Ring and used the jump pad to move forward to the next room, which was less of a room and more of a vast expanse. Pit hopped on the grind rail and made his way toward the large structure. " I can't believe this thing actually fits inside the Aurum Hive." he said.

"_It is quite expansive_." Palutena said. Pit continued to make his way to the large structure, but found himself surrounded by relentless swarms of Aurum troops. "So... many... enemies!" he said. Pit tried to switch rails but found his progress impeded by Rezdas. That's when he saw a squad a Bladers arrive and attack the Redzas. "The Forces of Nature?" he asked.

"_Don't get the wrong idea, Pit_." Viridi said. "_I'm not here to help you. It's just in my best interests to keep you alive for now_."

"_Aww, it looks like Little Miss Cactus has a soft spot for Pit_." Palutena teased.

"Uhhhhh, really?" Pit asked, blushing a bit. "'Cause I don't think you're all that bad either."

"_Shhh! Keep your voice down! People are listening!_" Viridi replied. "_I'm definitely_ not _doing this to help you, Pit_."

"_Oh_, really?" Palutena asked.

"Hmph. Well, I'm not here to help _you_ either, so _there!_" Pit replied.

"_AAAAAUUGH! You two are_ so annoying!" Viridi said, exasperated. "_This is why I kept trying to kill you!_" Pit eventually reached a small platform and stopped to rest for a bit before jumping on the next grind rail. "_It looks like this will take you to the Aurum Hive's power generator_." Palutena said. "_Destroy the generator to bring down this whole place_."

"Not a problem!" Pit said as he made his way into the next room. That's where he was confronted by Tribytes, a Xoxem, two Jyoks, a Takalax, a Rezda, and Biota. "_It's their last line of defense_." Palutena said.

"I dedicate this beatdown to the honor of our precious planet!" Pit declared as he fought his way through the enemies. Eventually, he defeated them all and forged ahead to the next room. What he saw next made him cover his eyes. The Aurum Generator was a large, spikey yellow object. It floated in the middle of the room surrounded by grind rails. Three massive Tribytes served as its seemingly only means of defense. "_This is the Aurum Hive's power generator_." Palutena said. "It's as bright as the sun!" Pit said as he hopped on the grind rail and opened fire with his Aurum orbitars. Occasionally, the generator would spit out a slow moving fireball in response. But the fireball barely hit Pit and he merely continued his assault. He hadn't been attacking for a few moments before he heard the sound of boisterous laughter. That's when he saw Pyrrhon fly into the room. "Pyrrhon? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Looks like you could use a hand there, little angel." Pyrrhon said. "The heroic hand of justice!"

"No, I'm fine." Pit said.

"Try my pyroweaponry on for size!" Before Pit could say anything, Pyyrhon launched a salvo of fireballs at the generator. That caused three shields to form around it. The Tribytes around it began to turn red. "That's...odd." Pyrrhon said. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"_Apparently adding heat to heat only makes things hotter_." Palutena said.

Pyrrhon laughed in response. "That is to say, oops. My bad."

"'My bad'? That's _all_ you have to stay?" Pit asked, exasperated.

"No. I have one more message to impart to you." Pyrrhon said. "I wish you luck! You're going to need it. And with that, I must leave you! Until we meet again!" And with that, Pyrrhon flew out of the room, leaving Pit alone with a now armed generator. "Arrgh! What an idiot!" Pit said.

"_Sorry, Pit_." Palutena said. "_Guess you'll just have to hold on as best you can_."

"What was he trying to do?" Pit asked. "Overload the whole... generator." he then gave a long, thoughtful look at the generator. "Lady Palutena? Don't be shocked. But I think I have a plan."

"_Pit has an idea?_" Viridi asked. "_Must be the end of the world_."

"Viridi, shut up." Pit said. "Lady Palutena, call Pyrrhon back in here." In a flash of light, Pyrrhon was teleported back into the room. "Hey, what gives?" The sun god asked. "I was just about to take a seven hour lava bath."

"Pyrrhon, I need you to keep attacking the generator." Pit said.

"But... I thought that was, I dunno, bad?"

"Just do it!" Pit shouted.

"Alright, alright." Pyrrhon said, putting up his hands as a sign of peace. "You really need to lighten up kid." Pyrrhon fired another salvo of rapid fireballs at the core. But it didn't seem to be having any effect. "_Pit, I don't think your plan is working_." Palutena said. "Maybe it just needs a little extra kick." Pit said as he summoned his Phoenix Arm, spraying the generator with a stream of flames whenever he got close. He also used repeated Explosive Flame powers. It was eventually working as the generator began to glow red before cracks started to appear. An alarm began to blare. "DANGER! DANGER! GENERATOR OVERLOAD! GENERATOR OVERLOAD! GENERATOR MELTDOWN IMMIENENT!" Eventually, the generator exploded. "Pulverazed!" Pit cheered.

"_Good, now let's get you out of here_!" Palutena said as she extracted Pit. Pyrrhon himsel teleported out of the room. Outside, Arlon, Phosphora, and her storm squad were continuing their assault on the Aurum fleet until an explosion stopped them. They all watched as cracks began to form on the Aurum Hive. "Storm squad, Time to bail!" Phosphora said as she teleported out of the storm cloud and back to Viridi's sanctuary. The Zerts and Badoots were extracted by Viridi just in time to watch the Aurum Hive collapse in on itself as a black hole sucked in all the surrounding battleships before exploding spectacularly. "Wonderous fireworks." Arlon said as he watched the whole spectacle unfold from his room in the Lunar Sanctum.

Pyrrhon himself was watching as well, his arms folded with a smile on his face. "And now on to the Aurum Brain... and then the _real fun_ begins." He chuckled to himself.

* * *

**What ulterior motives does Pyrrhon have for the Aurum Brain? Find out next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising!  
**

**Next Chapter Preview:**

**Narrator: (Looks around to see if Pyrrhon is nearby.) Okay, good. Next time on Kid Icarus: Uprising! Having further crippled the Aurum with the destruction of their fleet, Pit and the others must destroy the Aurum Brain. But an unforseen complication arrives when Pyrrhon... ACK! (Gets dragged away with a cane by the neck.)**

**Pyrrhon: Sorry, kiddo! Can't let you spoil the surprise.**

**Narrator: (Lunges at Pyrrhon with Butcher Knife in hand.) _I'LL KEEL YOU!_ (gets tied up by Pyro snake... again.)**

**Pyrrhon: Don't worry folks, he'll be okay. Now Pit and others must destroy the Aurum Brain, but Pyrrhon has a surprise for all of them! What will happen? Will Pit survive? Will _earth_ survive?! Find out on the next exciting chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising!**


End file.
